Time Changes Everything
by karymcgarret
Summary: Summary: Mia did not want to return to Hawaii but she owed her boss this. She was only taking the job Governor Denning offered because she owed it to her boss at the FBI. Little did she know who she would be working with, a person from her past she wished she would never have to encounter again.
1. Chapter 1

**Time Changes Everything**

**Chapter 1**

**This is my very first story I ever publish. I know I'm no expert writer and don't claim to be one but I just recently found the courage to actually write something of my own instead of just reading other people's stories, which I must admit are very good. So please bear with me and if you have any comments or suggestions feel free to send me a message about them. I do not own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or its characters (only Mia Summers which was a result of my imagination) but just like anyone on this site, I am a huge fan, especially of Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams. Maybe in the future I'll try writing one about Danny but for now I'll leave you with a Steve story and see how it goes. Hope you enjoy!**

**_Summary: Mia did not want to return to Hawaii but she owed her boss this. She was only taking the job Governor Denning offered because she owed it to her boss at the FBI. Little did she know who she would be working with, a person from her past she wished she would never have to encounter again._**

Mia Summers was a thirty-four year old FBI Special agent on her way to meet with the governor of Hawaii and the very dreaded return home.

"Ha, home," thought Mia.

Hawaii was the last place on the earth Mia Summers ever wanted to return to. It wasn't that she hated the island, in fact it was one of the most beautiful places she had ever set eyes on but it was filled with so many memories, many of which she wished she could forever erase from her mind. The only reason Mia Summers was returning to Hawaii was because she owed her boss. The governor of Hawaii had called Peter Donovan, her boss and his friend, asking for one of his best agents. Her boss did not specify what kind of job she would be doing in Hawaii but she would soon find out since she was about an hour away from landing. Thanks to him she was where she is now and for that Mia would be forever grateful. Now she had to break the promise she once made herself of never returning to the place that made her life a living hell.

**_*flashback*_**

Mia was running late to the game. If she didn't get rid of the last customer as fast as she could she would most definitely miss the game which was set to start in fifteen minutes. She had never missed a game before and she would not start now. Not only because the star quarterback was back after an arm injury that put him on the bench for the last three weeks, but that star quarterback was also her boyfriend, Steve Mc Garrett.

Mia and Steve have been dating for over a year. They met the year she became a freshman and he a sophomore. They had biology together; a class he had not taken due to scheduling that conflicted with his other classes, mainly football practice. One day, they were made lab partners and after weeks spent together in and out of class, they're "friendship" started changing and giving way to feelings neither could deny, hence the serious relationship they now had. Or as serious as a couple of teenagers, with no idea what future held for them, could get.

* * *

"Where is she, where is she. She's never missed a game before," were the thoughts going through sixteen year old Steve McGarrett as he stood looking around the bleachers from his spot at the bench with his teammates.

"Calm down McGarrett, she'll be here, probably running late. You did say she had to close the shop today. You know how customers get. Never can decide what to buy," Jake, his teammate and best friend since they were five, reasoned with him.

"Yeah you're right," said Steve.

As Steve gave one more look towards the bleachers, they're coach called for them since the game was about to start.

* * *

Mia practically ran the two blocks from the shop to the high school. Arriving ten minutes into the game, she spotted her best friend Savanna towards the center in the front row.

"You're late," reprimanded Savanna taking in the tired look of her best friend. Savanna hated how Mia had to sacrifice her teenage years to help her mother with the bills. If her mother wasn't working the part-time job she could barely hold on to at the diner, then she was using the money they barely had to get drunk and forget about how Mia's father had walked out on them when Mia was barely a year old. It was a miracle Mia had not turned out to be a troubled girl. Instead, she started working as soon as she was of age to work to help her mother bring food to the table. Fortunately the jerk she had as a father had left them the small house they lived in with the mortgage fully paid. All they had to worry about were bills and their necessities. At least he did something right. Luckily Mia had Steve and that at least gave her some normalcy in her already difficult life.

"I know," Mia stated dryly, "couldn't get the last customer to leave. If it wasn't because I need the money, I wouldn't even be working there."

Savanna just looked at her with a look of sympathy which Mia decided to ignore since that was the last thing she needed at the moment. Instead she turned her attention on the game.

"So how are we doing?"Mia asked spotting Steve in the middle of the field.

"Not too bad except that the other team already scored twice in the first ten minutes," replied Savi, as she was called by her friends, with a frown towards the field.

* * *

When Steve looked up towards the bleachers during a time-out the coach had called, he noticed Mia was sitting next to her friend and silently breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he wasn't giving it his best because he was worried about Mia. Now he was able to relax and put his focus completely on the game.

* * *

When the game ended, Mia and Savanna waited for Steve outside the locker room. Mia thought Steve might want to go out and celebrate his return and the team's victory of tonight's game. She decided to wait and see what he had planned.

As they waited Mia asked Savi, "So when are you and Jake finally going to give things a chance? You guys obviously like each other I don't understand why you guys don't just make it official already."

"It's not that easy. Every time I try to get serious and talk about us he shuts down. It's like he's afraid of something," answered Savi with a depressing look on her face.

"If you want I'll have Steve talk to him and see what he can find out…"

"Talk to who?" interrupted Steve coming behind Mia startling her as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey babe, we were just talking about Jake and how he and Savi haven't made anything official," Mia said turning slightly to her right and getting on her tippy toes to give her boyfriend a peck on the lips and putting her arms around his waist, "maybe you can talk to give. Find out what's going and give him a push in the right direction. By the way where is he?" asked Mia turning to look behind Steve but not seeing him.

"He just left. Said something about having things to do," stated Steve not looking directly at them as he spoke and looking extremely uncomfortable, "but yeah I'll have a talk with him see what's going on."

"It doesn't really matter Steve but thanks anyways," a very disappointed Savanna answered. "Listen guys I'm going to call it a night and go home now. I'll see you guys on Monday at school. Take care and _behave_," stated Savi emphasizing on the last part giving them both a mischievous look.

Mia blushed and looked anywhere but at the other two.

"Don't worry Savi, I'll have her home before the clock ticks midnight," joked Steve with a big smile on his handsome face.

After Savanna hugged her two friends goodbye, Mia turned to Steven and gave him a big hug and a full kiss on the lips.

"Hmm, what was that for?" asked Steve with a look of wonder on his face.

"That was to show you how sorry I am for not making it on time to your game and this," explained Mia giving him another full kiss, this time a bit longer, "was to show you how much I missed you today," she finished with a goofy smile on her face making her eyes light up.

"In that case, you can definitely be late more often if this is the reward I'm going to get," Steve playfully told her as he pulled her closer to him, "but maybe we should call it a night. I can see how tired you look and you should get some rest."

"Are you trying to get rid of me McGarrett?" she asked with a put on her face holding on to his strong arms. She had always felt safe in his arms and just loved being held by him. "And here I was waiting for you to show you the surprise I had planned to celebrate your big win and show you how much I love you. I guess you won't find out what it is then," smiled Mia while playing with the buttons of the shirt he had changed into after the game.

"A surprise huh," stated Steve with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face looking down and into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"Yep," she replied coyly as she turned in an attempt to disengage herself from Steve's arms but he only held on to her tighter.

"Well if you're positive you're not THAT tired we can go see what my surprise is," he told her in between kisses, "lead the way."

Steve didn't really want to tire her any more than she already was. He knew how tired she always was from working right after school until eight at night every night to help her mother around the house. But he did not want to spoil the good mood she seemed to be in and decided let her take the lead and see what she had planned for them.

**_*end of flashback*_**

**_Thank you for reading. If you have any comments or suggestions don't hesitated to let me now! They are all greatly appreciated. More to come soon._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Note: Thank you to those who have added this story to their alerts. It shows me that people are actually reading what I wrote and it really makes me happy and motivates me to keep going. Thank you so much to peaches2010 for your review! So here is Chapter 2, hope you guys like it. (For the record, my story is set around the time where WoFat was already in prison)**

**Important: I really need help learning how to upload the chapters, like 2,3,4,etc. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I created a new Document under the Doc Manager and that's how I uploaded this chapter. Can someone please tell me if I'm doing it right and if not let me know how to do it. Remember I'm new to this and I apologize in advance.**

Mia was jolted awake by the announcement that they were going to be landing soon.

"Flight 57 will be landing in approximately ten minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated at all times 'til we land," announced the stewardess.

As she sat there waiting for the plane to land she thought about what she had been dreaming before being jolted awake by the announcement. Mia knew how that night after the football game had ended. They had gone back to her house after a couple of his teammates had invited them to the local pizza parlor. That night Mia had given Steve one of the most treasured gifts he had received, or so he had said, her virginity. She had planned the whole thing out knowing her mother was doing the night shift at the twenty-four hour diner she worked at and wasn't set to return until around five in the morning. Mia did not regret sleeping with Steve because she had loved him like no one she had ever loved before and had thought Steve felt the same way. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. That same night had changed unknowingly to both of them their lives completely. But that was something Mia did not want to ever have to remember again. So instead she focused her gaze outside the window as the plane got ready to land.

Mia couldn't shake away the weird feeling she had in the pit of her stomach as the plane landed on Honolulu International Airport. She kept blaming it on nerves or the fact that she had not been in Hawaii for a really long time. As she grabbed her bags from luggage claim, Mia noticed a man in a dark suit a few feet away from her holding out a sign with her name on it.

"At least the governor sent someone to pick me up and saved me from having to catch a cab," she whispered to herself. "Hi. I'm Mia Summers," she said pointing to the sign the man was holding.

"Governor Denning sent me to pick you up and take you to the apartment the agency set up for you. He wants to make your stay here as comfortable as possible ma'am," the man replied.

"Call me Mia and thank you," she answered.

They left the airport and rode the thirty minute drive to her apartment complex in complete silence. During the ride, Mia let her eyes take in the scenery they passed.

"Even more beautiful than I remembered," she inwardly thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by her escort announcing they had arrived at her apartment complex. Mia looked through the window and was surprised at the sight before her eyes. This was definitely something she did not expect. The agency had gone all out on making sure she was as comfortable as possible during her stay in Hawaii by placing her in one of the top areas of Honolulu. As Mia made her way into the apartment, she loved what she saw. The place was modern yet it still felt homey and the view of the beach outside her balcony was breath taking. She turned and thanked the governor's escort for everything and he left with a reminder of her meeting tomorrow morning with the governor as well as informing her that there was a vehicle for her in the garage.

Once she was alone Mia was in complete awe with the place. Her apartment back in New York was nothing compared to this one. Mia went to unpack her suitcases and get settled in.

The next morning Mia woke up earlier than planned due to the anxiety she was feeling. Today she would finally find out what the whole "hush, hush" of this assignment was for. She decided to do her normal yoga routine and showering right after. Mia decided to wear a black pencil skirt that went just above her knees and a dark red silk blouse with her black pumps. Feeling slightly better Mia let herself relax and made her towards the garage where she was told her vehicle would be stationed.

When Mia saw the vehicle she would be driving she gave a whistle in surprise. "Wow" was all she could muster. In front of her was a black Audi R8. Definitely did not compare to the black SUV she owned. She could really get used to this, but immediately reminded herself she would not be here for a long time, or so she thought.

Once she arrived at the governor's office, his secretary immediately sent her in offering something to drink, which she kindly declined.

"Welcome to Hawaii, I'm Governor Denning" he motioned for her to take a seat as he greeted her with a firm handshake.

"Thank you, I'm Special Agent Mia Summers, but you already knew that," she finished with a small laugh trying to break the ice.

"Of course," he replied with a smile, "I'm pretty sure you want to know why I requested you flew in from New York so it's best we get down to business right away since this is an important matter."

"Alright, let's hear it," she answered with a nod indicating she was ready and he could begin.

"Our problem has one name, Wo Fat," he paused looking at her for any kind of reaction. After she showed some sign of recognition he continued, "I know you have been working on a case against him for years now and now that my task force has captured him we need to build a really strong case against him to make sure that criminal never walks the streets of my island again. That's where you come in. With your experience, I want you to work with my task force. I've read your file and your boss has spoken very highly of you. He trusts you and if he does then that means I can trust you too. I'm confident that together my team and you will be able to build a strong case," Governor Denning informed her giving her a serious look.

As Mia sat there listening to the governor she couldn't help but think about the fact that with this assignment she would be staying in Hawaii longer than she thought if the years she had already spent working on a case against him were any indication.

"Is there a problem Miss Summers?" he asked when he noticed the frown on her face.

"Sorry. No. I just thought my stay in Hawaii would be shorter, but with this assignment I think I'm going to start thinking about this place as a home."

"Will that be a problem? If I remember correctly you're originally from Hawaii. If there's a problem with where you're staying at maybe we can come up with a solution," he offered.

"No problem, Sir. Everything is fine. It's just that I haven't been in Hawaii since I was eighteen but I'm sure there won't be a problem," she answered with a polite smile," and the place I got is great. I'm as interested in keeping that man behind bars as you are and now that I know what I'll be doing I'm glad I was picked for this assignment. The FBI has invested so much time on this criminal and now that your tem has him we should not waste any time. So when do I get to meet this task force you talked about?"

He returned the smile and answered her by telling her they should be arriving anytime now. As he finished answering her, his secretary entered the office informing them the task force had arrived and were waiting in the conference room as he had requested.

"Well they're here now so let's get the introductions over with so you all can get to work on this as soon as possible."

Mia nodded and followed the governor through the doors in his office leading to the conference room.

"So why are we meeting with the Governor of Hawaii?" asked a very impatient Detective Daniel Williams as they waited for the governor inside a conference room.

"For the last time Danno, we are meeting with Denning to meet some Special Agent that will be integrated into this task force," answered a very annoyed Lieutenant Commander, Steve McGarrett.

"Wait, wait, so this meeting we are having is to meet a Special Agent that will be integrating into Five-O, which I might remind you didn't turn out so great the last time we had a Special Agent in this task force. What, is she going to be another baby sitter?" finished off the detective with an unimpressed look on his face.

"I don't know what this "Agent" will be doing or not doing, yet, Danny. That is why we are having this meeting so we can meet the newest addition to the team and so the governor can explain why the sudden integration of an FBI agent," Commander McGarrett explained while eyeing the rest of his team.

"Well I certainly won't be a babysitter. You can relax on that one," interrupted Mia Summers with an unimpressed look, standing by the door with the governor right behind her, while directing herself at the blonde man who referred to her as a "babysitter". If that were the case, Mia would have already packed her bags and been on the first flight back to New York.

When Steve heard the voice of a woman, he and the rest of his team turned towards the entrance of the door that led into the governor's office to take a look at the people who had joined them. As soon as Steve was facing the woman he had heard speak not even a minute ago, he instantly froze. He would probably not recognize the woman he was now facing after so many years if he just saw her passing by in the streets, but those eyes that he would stare into for so long all those years ago and used to tell him so much more than any possible word could ever be able to tell him, he would recognize anywhere.

**Important: I really need help learning how to upload the chapters, like 2,3,4,etc. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I created a new Document under the Doc Manager and that's how I uploaded this chapter. Can someone please tell me if I'm doing it right and if not let me know how to do it. Remember I'm new to this and I apologize in advance.**

**Note: I already have the beginning of Chapter 3, which gives you Mia's reaction to seeing Steve. I just need to think about how I want to map out the rest of the chapter. Hopefully I'll get it done this weekend and post it either Sunday night or Monday. And remember all comments and/or suggestions are welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Note: Thank You to those who have been adding this story to their alerts/favorites. It really means a lot to me :D and a BIG THANK YOU to DestinChild for clearing up the confusion I had with uploading the chapters.**

Mia smiled at the blonde man who had just called her a babysitter standing across the room facing her and introduced herself, "I'm Special Agent Mia Summers."

While Mia was busy introducing herself she noticed the rest of the team turned to face her and she looked at them while speaking. As soon as she finished introducing herself Mia's gaze landed on the man to the left across the room. She instantly froze. No way could this be happening to her. The man she hated so much was standing in the same room right across from her. Of all the places she had to run into him it had to be here in the governor's office. Suddenly it her like a ton of bricks, "in the governors office," that could only mean one thing.

"Are you alright ma'am?" asked an Asian looking man with concern on his face. "You look really pale."

Mia immediately recovered from her momentary shock, "I'm fine, must be the different time zones catching up to me."

"Well in that case let me introduce you to the team you'll be working with and explain to them what your integration to the team means. The sooner we're done the faster you can go home and rest for the remainder of the day. This man that just called you a "babysitter" is Detective Daniel Williams. Here we have Officer Kono Kalakaua and Officer Chin Ho Kelly. And this here is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, the task force's leader."

Mia shook each of their hands as they were introduced. Once she reached Steve, Mia shook his hand and looked him in the eyes with cold eyes. "Nice to meet you Commander," she said in a frosty tone, "and the rest of you as well," she said more genuinely to the others.

* * *

Steve was confused by Mia's coldness towards him. He could understand she would be upset with him for the way he just left but his father had promised to talk to her and tell her what was going on and either way, that was years ago. He also didn't understand why she introduced herself as if it were the first time they were meeting. As he studied her, he noticed she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Sure she was beautiful then, but time sure did its job right. He would try talking to her after the meeting and see if he could figure out why she acted the way she did.

"...so that is why Miss Summers will be integrating into your team. She needs you and you need her to keep WoFat behind bars for the rest of his life. Of course during the course of this investigation Agent Summers will be a part of Five-O just like all of you, so that means she will help out in any possible way on any case the team might receive. She is fully capable of doing so and counts with years of experience not only in the undercover division but in the combat division as well," Governor Denning finished explaining.

Steve took in everything the governor was telling them and was immediately intrigued in finding out how Mia became involved in a case involving WoFat. "So how did WoFat become a person of interest to you?" Steve asked Mia directly.

Mia did not even blink and answered him, "He's not a person of interest to me exactly but to the FBI. I was put in charge of this case when some problems with the Yakuza in New York started leading to WoFat but nothing specifically to tie him even though we know he was behind various crimes committed. We learned that he's really good at covering his tracks. We also know he's wanted all around the world. What I don't understand is your connection to him." She ended her answer directing the last part to the whole team.

"He killed my father," Steve answered solemnly. "Amongst other crimes he's committed along the way."

* * *

To say Mia was shocked was putting it mildly. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Never in a million years would she have thought John McGarrett was dead, let alone murdered. Sure she wasn't his biggest fan after the way he treated her, but no one deserved to be killed in cold blood, especially by a criminal like WoFat.

"I'm sorry about your loss," she told him with genuine sincerity to which Steve responded with a nod in acknowledgment.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, now that you've all met and know what you'll be working on I'll let you go on about your day." And with that the governor concluded the meeting. Everyone quickly stood up and started making their way out.

Mia couldn't wait to get out of there. She needed to be on her own and get her thoughts straight. She had just found out she would be working with the man she loathed and she knew she could not back down from the assignment now because she had given her word to her boss. As she tried to get to her car as fast as possible she heard hurried steps behind her and could only imagine who they belonged to.

"Mia! Mia wait up," Steve called after her.

Mia slowed down and turned to face the man she had once loved so much. "What do you want Steve?" she weakly asked with her arms crossed across her stomach.

"What was that in there?" he asked pointing towards the building they had just come out of.

"What was what?" she replied playing dumb. She knew exactly what he was referring to but she wasn't about to make it easy on him and she was in no mood to be nice especially to _him_.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't play dumb with me. Why did you act like you didn't know me when it was obvious you recognized who I was?" he was starting to lose his patience with the way she was acting.

"I really don't know what you're talking about. I'm really tired and I would really like to go back to my place and rest before starting work tomorrow," she replied blowing him off, turning around and starting to walk the short distance to her car but before she could take another step Steve grabbed her from the arm and turned her around to face him.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you acting like this? Is this about what happened all those years ago? I thought you would understand..."

Mia looked from the way he was grabbing her arm to him with a shocked face. He had definitely crossed the line and now she was pissed. Who the hell did he think he was to grab her the way he was? "Oh I understood perfectly well Steven," she said through clenched teeth interrupting him." Your father made things completely clear. What I don't understand is how you can stand in front of me demanding to know why I'm being the way I am when you know you're the only one to blame. You made your decision to stay away from me when I needed you the most now I want you to stick to that decision. If I would have known you were going to be here or even working with _you_ I would've _never _come back to Hawaii. So unless we are at the office or it has anything to do with the case, I want you to leave me alone!" she finished yanking her arm from his grasp, getting into her car and speeding off without another look back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Note: So here is Chapter 4. Thank You to those who have added the story to their alerts and/or favorites. Hopefully it means you are liking what you're reading so far.  
**

Steve was dumbfounded. He was shocked by Mia's outburst. The Mia he knew would've never spoken with such venom. He was also confused by what she had said. He never made the decision of abandoning her. His father had sent him and his sister to the mainland for their own safety and his father had promised to talk to Mia about this. He needed to know exactly what her father had told her but now he had other things to focus on, like keeping WoFat behind bars and figuring out who or what Shelbourne was.

Steve was interrupted from his thoughts by Kono's question, "What was that boss?" asked Kono with a raised eyebrow.

He turned to see the rest of his team standing a few feet behind him obviously having witnessed his confrontation with Mia.

"You two know each other? What do I mean you two know each other, of course you do. What I want to know, no let me correct that, what _we _want to know is how you two know each other. I mean there must be some kind of past between you two that did not end very well, if I'm allowed to guess, by the way the two of you were not so subtly arguing," Danny finished his rant, the whole time expressing himself with his signature hand gestures.

"Impressive work _detective_," answered an unimpressed Commander. Steve was not in the mood nor did he want to deal with another of Danny's rants and his teams questioning looks so he turned around making his way towards the Camaro's driver's seat. Turning towards the rest of the team he asked Danny, "Are you coming or what? We do have a job to do."

Danny turned towards Chin and Kono with his hands in his pockets and raised eyebrows, "See you guys at the office," he told them as he made his way towards his car before the driver decided to take off without him even if it was HIS car. "You do know this is MY car right?!" he loudly reminded Steve as they sped off as soon as Danny had closed his door. "I do not know what happened back there but do not take it out on MY car Steven," he continued holding on for safety, "and if that argument was any indication that working with Agent Summers is going to be a problem, whoa slow down! Then you better speak up now so we can come up with a solution and avoid any more of your famous aneurysm faces!" he finished keeping a fierce look on the road.

"We dated."Steve stated a few seconds after Danny was done talking looking briefly to his left outside the window trying to avoid Danny's questioning stare, a clear indication he wanted to know more but that was something he did not want to get into now until he spoke to the person responsible for his sudden foul mood, Miss Mia Summers, or as she was known as now "Special Agent Mia Summers.

"That's it?" questioned Danny. "You get to probe into my life and get all the details but when I try to probe into yours and try to figure out what's wrong with you, because as a friend I am concerned about you, all I get is a "we dated"?!"

"Look Danny I don't want to talk about it now because frankly I don't even know what HER problem with me is. I haven't seen or talked to her since I was sixteen, when my father sent my sister and me to the mainland. I never thought she would take it this bad. I mean I thought she would understand when my father explained to her that it was for our safety," argued Steve.

"Wait, so YOUR dad talked to her, not you, your dad?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why? Let me tell you why my friend." Stated Danny getting comfortable to start another one of his famous rants to which Steve simply rolled his eyes. "When you plan on leaving the place where you grew up, where you have your friends, and your GIRLFRIEND for a loooooong time, possibly even forever, you don't have your dad say your goodbyes for you. You tell them PERSONALLY!"

"There was no time Danny. I really tried talking to her but my father put us on the first flight out to the mainland."

"What about, and this is just a suggestion I'm not saying it actually happened, but what about if your father never got around to talking to her? What about if he got so caught up in keeping you guys safe that he just forgot?"

"No, I know for a fact that they talked because she mentioned something about it today, something about my father making it perfectly clear."

"Well then buddy I suggest you talk to her if we want to keep the workplace as peaceful as possible."

And with that Danny left Steve to his own thoughts.

* * *

Later on in the day, while Steve was alone in his office, he couldn't help but think about what Mia had told him. Those words about "leaving her when she needed him the most" kept bothering him because he didn't know what she meant by that.

**_*flashback*_**

"I had a wonderful time and you definitely kicked some ass on that field tonight," Mia told Steve as they made their way holding hands towards the front door of Mia's home.

"Me too," he said as they stopped at her door.

"Do you want to come in? Don't worry my mother isn't home and she won't be home until tomorrow morning," she quickly assured him having noticed his apprehension, "and don't worry I have forgotten about your surprise but if you want to see it you have to come inside with me," she finished with a smile.

"Alright, alright," smiling he followed her inside.  
Once inside Mia led Steve upstairs towards her room. When they were in her room Steve couldn't help but take in the romantic setting. There were candles and rose petals everywhere. He turned to look at Mia but before he could say anything she started nervously talking not looking him in the eyes.

"I know how this all looks cheesy but you know I'm a big romantic at heart and with a little help from Savi I was able to pull it off." Taking a deep breath she looked at Steve in the eyes and said, "I love you Steve and I don't want to wait anymore. If I'm ever going to be with someone for the first time I want that person to be you. I love you and I trust you."

Steve was speechless. He had never pressured her into anything and he knew he wanted to be with her too. He just wanted her to be positive.

He reached for her, held her face in his hands, and whispered to her "I love you Mia but I don't want to pressure you into something you're not completely positive about. I can wait if you want…"

Mia interrupted not wanting to hear him make excuses for her. If he kept going she knew she wouldn't be able to go forward. She wanted this not only for herself, but for Steve too. She knew it wasn't Steve's first time but it was hers and even though they were both young, she really hoped they would be together for a long time. "No Steve. I am one hundred percent positive. I want this as much as you do," she said leaning up to kiss him on the lips, "please," she whispered in between kisses.

That was all the encouragement Steve needed. That night he made love to her being careful not to hurt her and trying to make that night unforgettable for her.

* * *

As Steve and Mia laid there in the afterglow of their love making, they knew their relationship had changed that night. They had taken the next step and now they had to wait and see where it led them to.

Steve held Mia in his arms, her back to him and quietly asked her while he kissed her neck and shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Mia felt like she was on cloud nine, literally glowing. Steve had been amazing, he was such a gentleman making sure to fully please her and make her first time something very special. When she heard his question she turned in his arms to face him and while drawing circles on his chest she looked up at him and smiling answered him, "I love you and tonight was one of the most amazing nights I've ever had. Thank you," she whispered the last part and leaned up to kiss him.

Returning the kiss he said, "I love you too and it was my pleasure. I just hope I didn't hurt you too much." Steve lay on his back and pulled Mia towards him never letting her go.

Mia gave a contented sigh as she snuggled up into Steve's strong arms. Forgetting about the time or where they were, they both fell into a very peaceful sleep.

* * *

Steve woke up to something bothering him, the morning light. Slowly opening his eyes he realized it was morning already, they must have fallen asleep without realizing it. Suddenly it hit him. Morning. Shit his father was going to kill him, if he didn't already have the whole police department looking for him all over the island. He tried sitting up but realized something, or better yet someone, was preventing him from doing so. Mia had her head on the crook of his neck, her left arm over him, and her left leg intertwined with his.  
"Babe, wake up," he whispered kissing her on her forehead.

"Hmm," was the only reply he got as she moved closer to him.

"Mia, come on wake up," he tried once more shaking her a bit and turning to look at the door making sure it was locked. "It's morning, babe, I need to get home and your mom is probably home already."

At the mention of her mother Mia bolted up clutching the sheet to her body, "Oh my god what time is it," she asked not waiting for a reply as she looked at her alarm clock and noticing it was 7:15 a.m.! "Shit, shit, shit," she said getting off the bed and wincing a little bit at the sudden movement. She was a bit sore.

Steve noticed this and immediately rushed to her side, "Hey, hey, you alright?"

Mia blushed remembering the cause of her soreness and simply nodded at him giving him a shy smile, "Yeah don't worry, but you need to hurry up. Gosh we fell asleep and completely forgot about the time. Your dad is going to kill you. I'm so sorry I should have put my alarm or something." Mia kept going on and on as she helped Steve locate his shirt, finding it at the foot of her bed under her jeans. Handing it to him she looked into her drawers to find some pajamas.

"Don't worry about him. I'll deal with it when I get home." As he finished putting his shoes on, Steve reached out to her and looked her in the eyes, "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked concern written all over his handsome face.

Mia nodded, got on her toes and kissed him, "Yes, I told you already. I'll be fine. Now hurry up before it get's more late or my mom wakes up."

Steve nodded, kissed her one more time, and quietly left her house.

**_*end of flashback*_**

Steve would always remember that night as one of the most wonderful nights of his life. He remembered the look in Mia's eyes full of trust and pure innocence. Nothing compared to the coldness and hatred he saw in them today directed only at him. He needed answers and he knew the only person who could give them to him was her. He made some calls and after locating where she was staying at he was on his way to get the answers he needed.

* * *

**Note: So what exactly did Steve's dad tell Mia? Whatever it was was he doing it to be a bad person or was it to protect his son? And what did Mia mean "when she needed him the most"? Hmm, well I guess you're going to have to keep reading to find out. I promise to give you more soon! In the mean time don't hesitate to leave your comments/suggestions. I'll be glad to read them all :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Note: I know this one is short, but it had to be written on its own. More to come soon, promise!**

Mia couldn't believe her luck. She was shocked but more importantly she was furious. Furious at the thought of having to work with Steve of all people and furious at herself for letting it affect her so much. She had been pacing around her apartment for the last ten minutes since she got there feeling completely unsettled. Maybe if she had known in advance he would be there she could have prepared herself mentally but she also knew that if she had known he would be there she probably would've never returned to Hawaii in the first place.

Mia went to the kitchen to serve herself some wine, having stocked up the kitchen yesterday after unpacking her bags, hoping it would help her relax a bit. She took her glass of wine to the couch and tried making herself comfortable. As she sat there drinking her wine she couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that Steve looked better than ever. He was a full grown man and all these years that had passed had sure done a good thing to his physical appearance. "Hugh!" she groaned to herself putting the glass down on the coffee table and laying on her back on the couch. "Why now? Why after all these years of being able to avoid him did I have to run into him now? Why couldn't he have stayed wherever it is he was living all these years? Probably the army or navy or whatever since he was referred to as "Lieutenant Commander"" she talked out loud to no one since she was alone in her apartment. "Great now I'm here talking to myself. I'm going to go crazy if I don't stop this." As Mia continued her own conversation she eventually dozed off.

* * *

A few hours later Mia woke up to an incessant knocking on her door or better yet banging on her door. "Gosh don't people know how to knock on a door," she muttered to herself as she made her way towards the door noticing she fell asleep with her clothes on and now they were completely wrinkled. "Great," she thought. "Ok I'm coming! I'm coming!" she yelled to whoever was on the other side. "Don't you know what the word 'knock' means," she asked as she swung the door opened not bothering to check who it was beforehand and instantly regretting not doing so after taking a look at the man standing in her doorway.

"We need to talk," he said, or better yet, he demanded, as he let himself in not bothering to wait to see if he would be invited in and knowing their current situation, he knew he wouldn't be. He took a moment to take in his surroundings before turning to look at Mia. "Nice place."

Mia was stupefied. The audacity this man possessed to just barge right into her apartment without being invited in. Mia's earlier bad mood returned full force. She was about to make some things clear to the man standing in the middle of her living room. She slammed the door so hard, making the frames on the wall rattle, before turning to face the devil himself. "I don't know who the hell you thing you are barging into **_my_** home like that," she started, every word filled with so much anger, "but don't you ever, and I mean **_ever_**do that again! Just because we're going to be working together does not give you the right to come to my place whenever you want to. I thought I made myself perfectly clear that I wanted you nowhere near me unless it was strictly work related."

"This is work related. Well sort of. I mean if we're going to work together we need to get some things cleared up for the sake of the team. You owe me some explanations, Mia, and I'm not going to leave until I get them," he said making himself comfortable on the couch.

Mia was livid. How dare he?! "Excuse me?! **_I _**owe you 'some explanations'? If anyone here should be demanding explanations it should be me! Not you Steven, but honestly I could care less what they are. I didn't come to Hawaii to have some sort of "catch up time" or reminisce to some stupid high school relationship that left me with nothing but problems. I came here to do a job and that's it!"

Steve was taken aback by her outburst and he was starting to lose his temper by her standoffish attitude. Standing up and pacing the length of her living room he asked, "What exactly do I have to explain. Please enlighten me because I am honestly confused towards your reaction. I don't understand why every time I hear a word from you all the words that come out of your mouth are filled with so much hatred. You knew I had to leave. I couldn't stay. Tell me what happened to you to make you, and believe me when I tell you that it pains me to have say this, but what happened that turned you into such a bitch."

"What happened to me? You want to know what happened to me Steve, huh? Life happened Steve. I realized I couldn't mope around forever crying my whole life over someone to whom I never meant anything to. I couldn't be the same naïve girl who believed everything and anything she was ever told. I had to grow up and face the consequences of my actions and learn to never depend on anyone but myself. That's what happened Steve whiles you where god knows where doing who knows what. And if that turned me into the bitch I am today then sue me because honestly I don't care! This is who I am Steve whether you like it or not and I am not here to please anyone."

Steve did not recognize the woman standing in front of him. The sweet and innocent girl that once claimed to have loved him had turned into a cold hearted bitch and it pained him to see that. Time sure changed everything about her. He knew they were never going to get anyone if she continued with this attitude, so instead he just told her, "You're right. I don't like it. And if you want me to leave you alone, fine, I will. Just make sure that while we're at work you're able to keep your hatred towards me to yourself. We don't need anything to go wrong just because you couldn't separate you're personal life from your professional," he said in a defeated tone as he made his way towards the door, which was a rare thing in Steve, since he never gave up that easily but he felt like he was fighting a lost cause. As he opened the door he turned to her and softly told her, "By the way, to me, what we had was anything but "stupid." We may have been young but it was the best thing that ever happened to me." And with that he left her apartment.

As the door to her apartment closed, Mia let herself slump to the floor letting the tears she had kept in for a long time come pouring out. They were tears of anger, frustration, helplessness, but most importantly and as much as it pained Mia to accept it, they were tears of love and betrayal. She realized that after all these Mia never stopped loving Steve even after he walked out on her when she needed him the most. The day she found out she was pregnant with his child.

**Note: Hope you enjoyed. I promise to shed some light into what happened that made Mia hate Steve so much. I would love to read what you guys think so far so don't hesitate to review. Chapter 6 and seven are already written. They are in the editing process but I really want to know what you guys think so far. Hopefully I have time to upload Chapter 6 tomorrow.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Note: I am not sure what Max's last name is, so for now he's Max Bergman. If anyone knows his actual last name on the show, don't hesitate to correct me and I will change it. Again I do not own anything related to the show.**

The next morning Steve got to the office earlier than usual. He wanted to do some background checking on a certain Special Agent. Maybe then he would find some of the answers he did not get from Mia. He didn't want to fight with her nor be on her black list but if he didn't know what he supposedly wasn't there for then he wouldn't know how to proceed to make things right. Not because he had feelings for her, which he didn't or so he made himself believe, but because he at least wanted to get back the friendship they once had now that she was back in his life. As he sat there on his computer at his desk he saw some movement from the corner of his eye. Looking at his watch and seeing it was 8:00 am, Steve called out to the person he saw a few seconds ago enter the office across from his, "Hey Danno, what are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing my friend," replied Danny as he entered Steve's office. Pointing to Steve's computer he asked, "What are you working on?"

"Nothing," he quickly answered trying to take down the page he was on but Danny was faster than him as he glanced towards the computer.

"That doesn't look like 'nothing' to me," he replied with a smirk. "Did you find anything interesting on our new babysitter?"

"She's not a babysitter Danny."

"No she's definitely not," he replied with a small laugh. Taking a seat on the corner of Steve's desk, he mused, "I still don't understand how you let a hot babe like her go. I mean I understand you two were kids but she still must have been a cute one back then."

Steve smiled as he remembered Mia as a teen, "Yeah, she was. She was a special one. Nothing compared to who she is now," Steve finished more soberly as he turned his attention back to the computer.

Danny stood up figuring the conversation was over and was about to make his way back to his office when he remembered something, "Don't bother with your search any more. You won't find anything interesting other than the fact that she moved to New York and joined the FBI right after graduating from high school." At Steve's questioning look, Danny said "The team and I were curious about this woman who didn't immediately fall for your charm and obviously hates your guts so we did some digging. The majority of her file is locked except for some minor cases but nothing that stands out."

"No mention of family or anything like that?"

"Nope, nada," Danny answered with a shake of his head. "It's weird, you know. I mean most Agents' or Officers' files have at least some info about them besides their work. It's as if she's being protected or something. She must have some really good connections in the Bureau." And with that last comment, Danny left Steve's office.

"Who are you Mia Summers," Steve asked himself as he stared blankly at the computer screen.

* * *

"I'm not late am I?" asked Mia as she made her way towards where Kono and Chin were at on the computer table looking very busy.

"No, you're actually right on time. We just got a case about twenty minutes ago," replied a grim looking Chin.

"Anything I can help with?"

Before anyone could answer her, Mia's phone started ringing, "Excuse me," she said giving them an apologetic look and making her way into the first office she saw. "Hello?" she asked not recognizing the number.

"Mia, it's me, Steve. Listen I need you to do me a favor. I know this was you first day and you didn't expect it to start like this. We got a case. One of our own was murdered in an abandoned alley and our medical examiner just got shot. He's on his way to the hospital as we speak and Joe White is with him. I need you to keep an eye on him for me, please. He has some important information about Shelbourne, someone or something I've been looking for that might help me with my father's murder investigation and possibly WoFat's. He promised he would take me to it but at this point I don't trust him anymore and I can't let him disappear again. I need you to make sure of that and not let him out of your sight. Do you think you can you do that for me, please?"

"Umm, yeah, sure. Just who exactly am I looking for at the hospital?" asked a very confused Mia.

"Max Bergman and the man that's supposed to be at his side is Joe White."

"Alright, I'll make my way over right away," she promised.

Steve breathed a sigh of relief and quietly told her, "Thank you Mia. I owe you one."

"I'm just doing my job," and with that she hung up not wanting to get into another argument with him again. "Hey that was Steve. He just asked me to go to the hospital to keep an eye on someone. So I guess I'll see you guys later," she told Kono and Chin.

"Sounds like fun," Kono answered with a sympathetic smile looking at Mia.

Mia just shook her head with a small smile and gave a small wave goodbye as she made her way towards the door.

* * *

"Knock, knock," said Mia as she made her way into the room Max was in, carrying a small blue vase with flowers. "Hi I'm Special Agent Mia Summers, the newest addition to Five-O, and these are for you," she smiled towards Max as she placed the flowers on a nearby table.

"Beautiful flowers, from a beautiful lady. Thank you ma'am," answered a still weak Max.

Mia just smiled at the compliment and said, "You're very welcome and you can call me Mia." Turning to Joe and extending her hand to shake his, she said, "You must be Joe White." At his questioning look she clarified for him, "Steve mentioned you were going to be with Max."

With a knowing smile Joe simply replied, "So you're not really here to see Max. He sent you to keep an eye on me. That boy sure doesn't trust anyone."

"I'm just doing my job, Sir. Honestly I have no idea why I'm watching you just something about you having some important information for him," she replied as she took a moment to study the man in front of her.

"You can call me Joe," he said. "By the way, your name sounds very familiar. Have I met you before?

"And here I thought the new girl came specially to see me," Max interrupted with a sigh making everyone laugh, "at least I got flowers."

"And you should consider yourself lucky. I don't give just anyone flowers," Mia playfully winked at Max making the man smile widely. Turning to Joe White she answered his previous question, "I don't think we've ever met before. I haven't been to Hawaii in almost seventeen years or if we did I simply don't remember, sorry."

Looking towards Max's bed and noticing he had fallen asleep, Joe motioned for Mia to take a seat and Joe did the same. "It's going to be a long day so I suggest you make yourself comfortable." As Mia sat on a nearby chair, Joe continued, "So have you known Steve long or did you just meet?"

Not looking Joe in the eyes, Mia shrugged her shoulders and said "We went to the same high school; at least we did during my first two years. He was a grade higher than me. Then he just up and left with no goodbye whatsoever."

"Ah, maybe that's where I know you from." At her questioning look, he explained, "I was Steve's commanding officer in the Navy. I trained him and I was also a good friend of his dad's. Steve might have mentioned you. Maybe that's why your name sounds familiar."

Mia just nodded in acknowledgement towards Joe's statement. So Steve was in the Navy's, she thought, interesting. Who would have thought?

* * *

Later in the day, when the team had gotten the woman who killed Fryer, or better yet, killed her, Mia and Joe made their way to headquarters. When they arrived, Mia noticed everyone had left already. Well everyone except Steve.

Steve noticed Mia and Joe had arrived and motioned for them to come into his office. Looking at Mia he told her, "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem. If that's all you need I'm going to go on and get out of here."

Steve nodded, "Yeah go ahead and thank you again."

Mia nodded and turned to Joe White, "It was nice meeting you." And with that she turned and left the two men to their business.

"She's a pretty one," Joe mused. "I still think I know here from somewhere. Her name sounds very familiar. She mentioned you two went to school together when you were still living here. I told her that's probably why her name sounds familiar. You might have mentioned her in one of our talks years ago. I don't know I'm an old man, can't say for sure."

"Yeah well that's a story for another time Joe. Right now I need you to take me to Shelbourne."

"Right. Well son let's get moving if you want to meet Shelbourne."

"Where are we going?" asked a doubtful Steve.

"Japan," simply stated Joe.

"Japan? I was just in Japan and found nothing," stated Steve not believing Joe.

"Well son, you're going to have to trust me on this one. Shelbourne is in Japan. So if you want to meet Shelbourne I suggest we leave now."

"Alright," conceded Steve, "I just need to make a few calls. If I don't tell Danny where I'm going, he will never speak to me again."

Joe just laughed and nodded.

Steve called Danny but since he did not answer, he just left a voice mail. Then Steve decided to contact one more person:

_ Hey I'm on my way to Japan.  
Joe will finally take me to meet.  
Shelbourne. I'll explain everything  
when I get back. Might be helpful  
where WoFat is concerned._

He finished the text and clicked send. "Alright let's go," he told Joe as he started walking towards the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: Thank You to those who have been reading the story and a special thank you to those who have taken the time to review. I'm posting this chapter because I know I said I was going to try to post Chapter 6 over the weekend but stuff got in the way so to make up for that, here's another chapter :) Hope you like it.  
**

**Chapter 7**

That night, after Mia left the office, she felt like doing some exploring and decided to go downtown. Maybe grab some take out or indulge by eating at some fancy restaurant where the place looked great but the food sucked. As she was driving Mia's cell phone chirped signaling a text message. She decided to check it until she arrived, not wanting to risk her safety by distracting herself while checking her phone. It was still early, 6:30 p.m. to be exact and the streets were already really busy with tourists and locals walking the streets of downtown Honolulu. As Mia found a parking spot in the street she noticed a restaurant across the street that seemed good enough to eat, maybe she would give it a try since she was starving. She was about to get out of her car when she remembered the text she had received. "Well let's see who it is," she said to herself, "Steve. This better be important."

_ Hey I'm on my way to Japan.  
Joe will finally take me to meet.  
Shelbourne. I'll explain everything  
when I get back. Might be helpful  
where WoFat is concerned._

"Who is this Shelbourne character I keep hearing about? You have some explaining to do Steven," Mia muttered as she started putting her phone away."Well this place looks fancy, good thing I decided to wear something formal to work today," she told herself as she made her way inside the restaurant.

* * *

"Hello. Welcome to Sunset Platter. Will it just be you tonight?" greeted the waitress.

"Umm, yeah. Table for one, please."

"Alright. Right this way please."

As Mia followed the waitress, she took in the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant and noticed there was a full house tonight. It also didn't go unnoticed that the majority of the people were either couples or with their family. "Great," she thought to herself.

"Mia? Mia Summers?"

As Mia was about to sit down she heard someone calling out to her. She turned around to see a woman maybe around her age making her way towards her. Mia did not immediately recognize the woman but when she heard:

"It's me, Savanna, Savanna Richards or as I'm known as now, Savanna Hendricks."

"Oh my god, no way! Savi!"

For a minute they both forgot where they were and started squealing and hugging each other like two little girls after getting the perfect gift. As if on cue, they both abruptly stopped and looked embarrassed at the onlookers, "Sorry," they apologized simultaneously.

Grabbing Savi's hands, Mia pulled her towards a chair. " Come on join me for dinner or a drink, that is if you haven't had dinner yet or are you here with someone?" she asked as she looked over her best friend's shoulder to see if anyone was with her.

"Don't worry I already I had dinner but I'll still keep you company," she answered with a smile as she took a seat next to Mia.

"Alright."Then turning her attention to the waitress she ordered, "I'll take the Chicken Parmesan with the pasta and water please," she finished as she closed the menu and returned it to the waitress.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your water. Anything for you Mrs. Hendricks?" asked the waitress looking towards Savanna.

"Just water Ally," ordered Savanna.

"Two waters coming right up."

"Mrs. Hendricks? Ally? What are you a regular here?" asked a smirking Mia.

"You can say that but actually, I own the place," returned Savi with a smirk of her own.

"Get out, you're kidding me right?"

Savanna just gave her a raised eyebrow in response.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, that's great! Really great. I just, wow, I never thought you would actually stay here in Hawaii let alone open a restaurant," stated Mia motioning with her hands to her surroundings still in shock. "I just thought you would still be traveling the world like you dreamed back when we were still in high school. Did you ever get to that? Ok but first start from the beginning. I want to know all about you. What have you been up to since graduation?"

"Well you actually mean since you left, right?"

Mia playfully rolled her eyes, "Right. Thank you," she said to the waitress who had just delivered their waters.

"Well let's see, where do we start? The fall after graduation I enrolled in community college, took a few courses, decided it wasn't for me. Traveled to different places, but I settled for a while in Italy. I took a cooking course there, which I totally loved. You should've seen it, best class I've ever taken, aside from the hottie professor, whom I totally dated. Then about a month after the course was over I received the call no child ever wants to receive. My parents' private jet crashed into the sea, forcing me to move back home and take over my father's business. You know how much I hated anything that had to do with my father's business. It just wasn't for me but being an only child, I had to respect his last will. Luckily, Jake and I found each other again," she said showing Mia her left hand that visibly had a wedding band," and I became Mrs. Hendricks and he became CEO of my father's business. He went to business school which was even better. Now we're both proud parents to a beautiful ten month old baby girl," she finished with a beaming smile.

"Wow. I'm really sorry about your parents," Mia said as she put a hand on Savi's which Savi squeezed in gratitude. "And Jake? _The_ Jake Hendricks you moped around for all of your sophomore year. Who would've thought? I guess you two needed to go your own ways, live your lives, and eventually find your way towards each other. And to top off, a baby! I'm just so happy for you. I really have to meet her, she must be adorable. I mean, she has you and Jake as parents."

"You really do have to meet her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and Jake too of course. He turned out to be a great father and an excellent husband," gushed Savanna, "but enough about me, what have you been up to all these years? And eat your food, it's getting cold," commanded her friend.  
Mia felt a light stab of envy towards her friend. She wished she could have at least half of what Savanna had. Someone she could share her life with, keep her company, enjoy everyday life things with or even better, be a mom, something that had been cruelly taken away from her years ago. But she didn't want to go down that memory lane, not now and not ever.

"Hello? Earth to Mia," called Savanna as she waved a hand in front of Mia's face making her snap out of her reverie.

"Sorry? You were saying?" asked Mia absentmindedly.

"I was saying that you should eat that," she pointed towards her plate, which she had not noticed was delivered, "before it gets cold and that you should update me on your life. Are you alright?" asked Savi full of concern, noticing the distracted look on Mia's face.

"Yeah, I just," Mia sighed, "never mind. Well let's see where do I start? My life just hasn't been as interesting as yours," she paused trying to gather her thoughts, "Remember the man that offered me his help when I was in the hospital, but turned him down because your parents were already taking care of everything? And he said that if I ever needed anything to call him, then he gave me his card, which we realized he was from the FBI after examining it."

"Hmm, let me see. Oh right that guy. What was his name Patrick, Paul..."

"Peter Donovan."

"Right, I remember now," answered Savanna with recognition in her face.

"Well the night of graduation I gave him a call. I told him I wanted to get as far away from Hawaii as possible. I felt like I was suffocating but I didn't have the means to leave. He said that wasn't a problem that he would arrange everything. So he booked me on a flight to New York that same night and placed me in a hotel close to where he worked at. Then he offered me the opportunity to do something with my life. He gave me two options: school or the FBI. He said I could pick any school I wanted, any career, and he would cover all costs but he gave me a few days to think it over. I made a lot of thinking and research and finally decided to go for the FBI. I chose the FBI because I realized I wanted to help people, help keep criminals behind bars, and help make this country a better place to live in."

"You never thought it strange? How this man comes out of no where offering his help, offering to pay for your education? I mean I remembered back then it sounded too good to be true and now, well it still does," concluded Savi.

"At first it did seem all strange but deep inside, something told me I could trust this man. I don't know, I can't explain it. He gave me his help and was there when no one else was, well except for you and your family. You guys were always there and for that I'll always be very thankful," said a smiling Mia and wasn't disappointed when Savi returned the smile. "I owe Peter who I am today, Savi. He helped so much I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him. He was like the father I never had and his family took me in with arms wide open, no questions asked."

"Wow. I'm proud of you Mia, for not letting something like what happened to you bring you down, of succeeding despite every hardship you've encountered," praised Savi.

Mia's eyes began to water but she wasn't going to let old memories interfere with how happy she felt of finding her friend again. "Thank you Savi. You don't know how much it means to me coming from you. I'm sorry for leaving the way I did and not keeping in touch. I just felt I had to in order to be able to move on," choked out Mia.

"Hey, no crying. You're going to make me cry and I'm not wearing waterproof mascara," joked Savi causing both women to laugh, "I understand I really do even if I don't like it," she finished with a smile reaching out to squeeze Mia's hand. "What I want to know now is how you ended up back in Hawaii?"

"Now that I really don't want to talk about but I'm going to tell you because you'll find out sooner or later. I'm working with the Governor's special task force, Five-O, to help keep a very highly dangerous criminal behind bars." At Savanna's shocked expression, Mia asked, "What? What's with the face?"

"You're working with Five-O? The task force Steve McGarrett leads and I'm not talking about just any Steve but **_the_** Steve McGarrett. The asshole that left you all those years ago?!" sneered a highly upset Savi. "How can you even work with that man after what he did to you?"

Mia realized her friend was starting to get louder with each word she spoke so she decided to calm her down. "Savi lower your voice. Calm down. I made it clear to him that our arrangement is strictly professional and he is the last person on this earth I would want to be with. And how do you know he's the leader of Five-O?"

"He's only very popular for all the criminals he's put behind bars and Jake has kept in touch with him all these years. They still hang out sometimes even after what he did to you, which I find totally annoying," grunted Savi.

"Jake doesn't know does he?"

"No, of course not. Don't worry he just thinks you hate Steve for leaving without a goodbye and according to Jake, Steve thinks the same thing, so he finds no reason why he shouldn't talk to him. He thinks I'm being ridiculous but he doesn't know what Steve did to you and it's not my place to tell anyone. But I don't believe what Steve says. I mean he must know, his father knew," she pointed out. "Have you and Steve talked about it? About why he didn't man up to his responsibilities?"

"No and I don't plan on asking him," deadpanned Mia.

"What about, and this is just a "what about", if what Jake said is true and he doesn't know anything else?" suggested Savi.

"I don't think so. His father made it very clear Steve wanted nothing to do with me."

"Maybe you two should sit down and talk about it..."

Mia didn't want to hear anymore, "Listen Savi, I love you and all but honestly I don't..." they were interrupted by Mia's cell phone ringing. Looking at the caller id she noticed it was Danny. Weird, she thought. "Sorry I have to take this," apologized Mia as she answered the phone. "Hey Danny, what's up?"

"Mia I need you to meet me at Chin's house ASAP. Something terrible happened. I'll text you the address."

At Danny's distressed and urgent voice Mia readily agreed and said she would be on her way.  
Savanna, having caught Mia's worried expression, told her not to worry, the meal was on the house and to go wherever she had to go.

"I'm really sorry," apologized Mia, "but give me a call whenever you can. Here's my card." Mia quickly hugged her goodbye and left the restaurant in a hurry.

**Note: Don't forget to review. I love reading them. I have the next three chapters all done, ready to post but I'd really like to see some more reviews. It's just a click away :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Note: Thank you for all the reviews I received! I loved every single one of them! :)) Again I do not own anything associated to the show, so if anything looks or sounds familiar I do not own it; it all belongs to the real owners of the TV show.**

When Mia arrived at Chin's house she noticed there was a lot of activity circulating the house as well as a crime scene van. As she entered the house, after having to show her badge, Danny noticed her and quickly made his way over to her.

"What happened here?" she asked as some people from the crime scene investigators passed by them with a body bag.

"It's bad, it's really bad," said a grief stricken Danny, "Malia is dead. Frank Delano escaped prison and took Kono and Malia. He made Chin choose who to save and Chin chose Malia, but don't worry Kono is fine. Either way, when Chin got here it was too late. She suffered a wound to the chest."

"How is Chin handling it?" she asked looking towards where Chin was just sitting on the cold kitchen tile staring at nothing.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think too well, considering he just lost his wife," he pointed out.

"Understandable. Alright, I'll go open up the office and get started on finding the scum bag that did this. Keep me informed," a determined Mia said as she made her way back to her car and off to the Five-O offices.

Two days later there was still no news regarding Delano's whereabouts and to top it off, they had just received notice that WoFat had escaped while he was being transported. Mia had learned all about Delano from Danny and the fact that someone could dishonor their badge made her sick. Now she wanted to catch him as soon as possible just like the rest of the team but with WoFat on the run, they had to move fast. As Mia was Mia was making some notes in her office, Danny walked in,

"Want to get some fresh air?" he asked motioning towards the main doors.

"Sure, where are we going?" she asked as she stood up and began walking towards her door.

"To pick up Steve from the airport," he replied, making her stop abruptly.

"He's back from Japan?"

"Yep," simply stated with his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels looking her over. "So are you coming?"

She hesitated for a second and then just nodded and with her head motioned for Danny to head out.

* * *

As they waited for the airplane to land Mia took in the heavy amount of police enforcement and couldn't help but ask Danny what it was all about.

"He's bringing Shelbourne and with WoFat on the run we don't want to risk him getting to Shelbourne," was all he responded.

"So I'll finally find out who or what Shelbourne is," she mumbled to herself thinking only she had heard it until Danny spoke.

"You and me both, babe, you and me," he said as he crossed his arms and stared ahead as the plane made its final stop.

They looked on waiting to see someone disembark the plane until the door finally opened. The first two people to make their way outside the plane were, what she assumed to be Agents, and then she saw Steve and an older woman right behind him, along with two other Agents right behind them. From far away Mia could not really make out who the woman with Steve was but as they made their way closer to them, Mia couldn't believe her eyes, "No way," she whispered bringing her hand to her mouth in a demonstration of shock.

Having noticed her reaction, Danny turned his head to her and asked with his thumb pointing towards the woman next to Steve, "What? You know her?"

But before she could reply, their guests had reached them.

"Hey guys," greeted Steve. "I'd like you to meet Shelbourne, my mother. Doris this is my partner, Detective Danny Williams."

"Doris McGarret, you can call me Doris," she greeted extending her hand towards a dumbstruck Danny.

"And this is..." but before Steve had a chance to finish Mia enveloped Doris in a tight hug and couldn't help the few tears that escaped her eyes. Even though the amount of time they spent together before Doris had "died" was relatively short, Steve's mother always treated Mia as one of her own and Mia had grown to see her as the mother figure she didn't have at home.

"I'm sorry," she said as she took a step back looking a bit embarrassed as she wiped the few tears she let escape, "you probably don't remember me. I'm Mia, Mia Summers."

"Mimi? My little Mimi?," asked Doris, calling her the pet name she had given Mia when she was younger, "Wow, look at you, all grown up and more beautiful than ever. Come 'ere and give me another hug." Mia gladly complied.

Steve was surprised by Mia's warm welcome towards his mother, who had faked her own death to "protect" her family. He remembered how close his mother and Mia became during the time they dated. They thought of each other as mother and daughter, even though Doris already had her own daughter, but something in Mia always made people like her instantly. He couldn't help the smile that escaped him as he remembered this. He just wished Mia was still the same warm and loving girl she was once. Well at least to his mother she still seemed to be the same girl. As he looked around, Steve remembered what he was going to ask Danny,  
"So what's with all the extra security?" he asked.

"We've got a problem," Danny began, but was interrupted by Mia as she said,

"WoFat escaped," she answered suddenly becoming very serious.

"What?! How did that happen?" demanded Steve, his signature aneurysm face in place and hands on his hips.

"We don't know. That's what we're still trying to figure out," answered Danny taking in everyone's grim looking face. "Until we locate him, "Shelbourne"," he said motioning towards Doris with his thumb, "needs to be placed in a safe house."

Steve nodded and told them they better get moving. "I want roadblocks everywhere, check every car if possible," he ordered.

* * *

Once they were on their way, Danny filled Steve in on everything that had occurred during his absence and then he heard Danny mention they needed someone they could trust to help protect Doris, to which Mia instantly volunteered but Steve turned her down, saying he had someone else in mind. At Mia's hurt look in the rearview mirror he quickly clarified, "It's not that I don't trust you, Mia. I do. I just need you at headquarters helping locate WoFat." He saw Mia simply nod and turn away to look outside the window.

As Mia looked out the window, she became curious as to who was going to be put in charge of Doris' security. So she asked Steve, "So who is going to keep your mom secured?"

"Catherine," he blurted without thinking.

Her curiosity picked, she asked, "Who's Catherine?"

Suddenly the atmosphere became awkward. She noticed Steve become extremely uncomfortable as he squirmed in his spot on the driver's seat, something rare in him.

"She's a friend," was all he said not looking at anyone but the road ahead of him.

Danny just snorted at Steve's response to which Mia asked, "What was that Danny? You have something to say?"

"No ma'am, I'm good," he replied.

And that was all that was said on the topic. Mia leaned back on her seat and couldn't help but wonder who this "Catherine" person was, a "friend" according to Steve. Yeah right, she thought, probably his girlfriend, not that she cared if he had one or not.

* * *

Steve dropped Mia and Danny off at headquarters and sped off to take Doris to the safe house.

"So, Mia and you? I take it you guys aren't together anymore?" initiated Doris, trying to engage her son in conversation, trying to catch up on his life.

"Really? What gave it away? Was it the fact that she barely looked at me when she talked or that she even talked to me at all?" he answered sarcastically.

"Don't get smart with me. I know your mad but I'm still your mother, and no none of those. Although, now that you mention it, I did notice that too. What gave it away were the way she looked at you when you weren't looking and the way she reacted upon hearing the name "Catherine"."

"You're right, I'm still mad at you. Just because you suddenly reappeared in my life does not give you the right to probe into it. As for being my mother, you stopped being one the moment you decided to fake your own death. Now you're just the woman who gave birth to me."

"No matter what you think, don't ever disrespect me like that again. I'm still your mother and I did what I did thinking it was the right thing at the time. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I wasn't, but we're all human. We make mistakes."

"Yeah, well that mistake took my father's life," Steve finalized turning to look at Doris after shutting off the engine announcing their arrival at the safe house and then getting out of the car not giving her a chance to reply.

* * *

Three hours later, the team had found Delano, but still no sign of WoFat. Everyone was ok physically, with just a bruise here or there. Chin had killed Delano, but he still wasn't feeling any better, who would after what he went through?

"Hey guys," said Kono walking at a fast pace towards where Chin, Mia and Danny were, "WoFat knows where Shelbourne is and he's probably on his way to the safe house, if he isn't there already. Steve just left and I suggest we get moving. He might need backup."

"Wait how does he know this?" asked Danny as they all made their way towards their respective cars.

"One of Delano's helping hands confessed right before dying. It was Delano who helped WoFat escape," answered Kono.

"Son of a bitch, let's go then."

They all got in their cars and sped off in the direction of the safe house.

* * *

When Steve arrived at the safe house he noticed two guards on the floor, so he quickly drew his gun and made his way inside.

"Mom!" he called out but received no response and then he heard three gunshots upstairs and starting running up the stairs calling out for his mom. "Mom! Mom!"

When Steve made his way into the room he saw his mother with a gun in her hands, alone. "Where's WoFat?" he demanded.

"He went out through the window when he heard you," replied a nervous Doris.

At the same time, Catherine made her way into the room, "Did you get him?"

"No, he's gone, again," he answered full of frustration at having lost WoFat once again. "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah," they answered in unison.

As they made their way downstairs, the team was making their way inside with their guns drawn ready to shoot anyone.

"Guys you can put those down, he's gone," he told them. Turning to Doris, he said, "We need to put you on a plane and send you somewhere where I don't even know where you are. You're not safe here."

"I understand," nodded Doris.

* * *

As Steve talked to his mother, Mia couldn't help but take in the woman standing next to him. So this is Catherine, she thought, pretty gal. Before anyone noticed her staring, she directed herself at everyone in the room, "Hey guys we better get moving. We want to get Doris out of here as soon as possible."  
At everyone's nod in agreement, the team made their way outside.

* * *

Steve had noticed Mia staring at Catherine and he didn't know if he imagined it or not but for a moment he thought he saw a sad look cross Mia's face. But before he had a chance to introduce them, she spoke up saying they had to get moving. Now Steve was on his way to the airport where a private plane would take Doris somewhere safe.

While Steve watched the plane take off, he heard a car and then hurried steps making their way towards him. He turned and noticed it was his partner Danny. "Hey Danno, what are you doing here?"

"Steve you're not going to like what I have to say. I just received a call from our crime scene investigators. Steve the three shots that were fired were all aimed at the floor. So either your mom is really bad at shooting, which then I wouldn't understand how she was in the CIA, or she lied to you."

"She let WoFat escape," concluded Steve. "Why?" he asked to no one in particular as he turned to look at the plane that was on its way to god knows where.

**Note: Hey guys! Don't forget to review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Note: Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews. Sooooooooo, guess what? Mia will finally tell Steve what happened to her, so read on and find out what happens.  
**

Mia was tired. No, scratch that, she was exhausted, but it was a Friday night and she did not want to go home so she decided to call Savanna and see if she wanted to meet up for drinks, to which she gladly accepted, except that it would have to be at her restaurant's bar since it was Friday night, which meant busy night and Savanna had to be there in case she was needed. So Mia made the fifteen minute drive to downtown Honolulu.

"Hey," greeted Savi as she gave Mia a hug. "You look beat."

"I know, but I didn't feel like going to my apartment and it's Friday," she finished as she sat on one of the bar stools.

"So what can I get you to drink?" Savi asked her.

"I'll take a beer," she said, "and this time drinks are on me, since last time my meal was free."

"Alright," turning to the barman she said, "Mike, two beers please," to which Mike nodded and placed two cold beers in front of them right away.

Mia took a long chug before saying, "Gosh you have no idea how I needed that."

"So what haves you in such a depressed mood. I mean besides looking exhausted, you also look like you're about to cry a river."

Mia filled Savanna in on everything that had happened in the last couple of days since she had last seen her and before she knew it, Mia was already on her fourth beer.

"Wow I can't believe Mama McGarret faked her own death," said Savi with a shake of her head.

"Me neither and Steve is really pissed about that," slurred Mia, the effects of the consumed alcohol on an empty stomach becoming more and more noticeable.

"Well yeah, it's understandable. I mean, because of her his father was murdered. I would be pissed too," said Savi.

"Yeah, well she's here now. Well not here, here in Hawaii anymore. She's gone again, ironic right?" giggled an obviously now drunk Mia, who was making her way towards her fifth beer.

"I think that's enough for you," advised Savi as she removed the fifth beer from Mia once she placed it back on the counter. "You're already drunk. I think you should head home and sleep it off now. You are obviously not driving yourself home in that state."

"Come on Savi, don't be such a party pooper and I can catch a cab." slurred Mia.

"I'm not letting you go by yourself in that state and unfortunately I can't give you a ride home. I'm needed here tonight," an apologetic Savi said motioning to the restaurant, "but let me call someone for you and take you home." Savanna took Mia's cell phone from the counter where she had placed it when she arrived. "Let's see, who do you want me to call?" she asked as she scrolled through her contact lists of the people she knew in Hawaii. "Chin?"

"Nope, I don't want to disturb him. He still needs the time to mourn his wife."

"Danny?"

"Nope, he said something about having his daughter tonight."

"Ok. Kono?"

"Date."

"Then that only leaves us with McGarret, unless you want me to call the governor," concluded Savanna.

"No way, gosh please not him. Can't you take me home?" whined Mia.

"I'm really sorry babe. I promise to make it up to you but honestly he's our only option."

"Fine," mumbled Mia as she put her head on the counter.

* * *

Steve was just getting off his truck outside his house when he felt his phone vibrate inside his pocket. Looking at the caller id he saw that it was Mia. Strange, he thought.

"Hey Mia," he greeted, but was responded by another female voice he did not recognize right away.

"Sorry to disappoint you Commander," stated Savi dryly. "It's Savanna. Listen, do you think you can come and pick up Mia at my restaurant? She's in no condition to drive and no one else is available to drive her home."

"What's wrong? Is she alright?" asked Steve full of concern already making his way back into his truck and driving away.

"Can you pick her up, yes or no?" ask an obviously annoyed Savanna. "Keep in mind you were our last option."

"Geez, thanks a lot Savi," he answered sarcastically. "I'm on my way."

"Alright," she answered. "Oh and Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Only friends are allowed to call me Savi, so next time, it's Savanna for you," and with that the line went dead.

Steve looked at his phone like it had grown another head and thought, what's her problem?

Steve arrive about twenty minutes later and as he made his way into the restaurant towards the bar section he saw Savanna next to whom he assumed to be Mia, since he couldn't really tell due to the way she had her head on the counter.

* * *

As Steve made his way towards the bar, Savanna noticed him first and leaned close to Mia to whisper to her that Steve was here. Mia quickly picked up her head to turn and see where he was at but regretted doing so instantly after almost losing her balance on the stool.

"Whoa, that was close," Steve said as he held onto Mia from the waist to prevent her from falling off the stool obviously noting she was very drunk.

Mia slowly turned to face him, not wanting to repeat what just happened and told him, using her finger to poke him on the chest. "Keep your hands to yourself Commander," she slurred. "Keep in mind that this was _her _idea," she said pointing to Savanna and then to herself, "not mine. I could have easily taken a cab."

"Right and you of all people should know how dangerous that can be in your state," reasoned Steve as he helped Mia off the stool.

"Blah, blah, blah. Are you done _dad?_" she asked obviously not impressed. "Can we go home now?"

Noting that they were ready to leave, Savanna directed herself at Steve, "You better get her home safe and sound. If I hear you hurt her in any way I will personally hunt you down. Do I make myself clear McGarret?"

"You know you can trust me Savanna," answered Steve obviously insulted by Savi's threat, "I would never intentionally hurt her."

Savanna snorted and told him, "Yeah well you should have thought about that the first time you hurt her." And with that Savanna walked away.

* * *

Steve led Mia towards his truck, which he had left right at the entrance. While Steve tried to get the passenger seat opened, Mia leaned closer to Steve and heard her whisper against his ear,

"Hmm, you smell reeeally good," causing him to shiver in response.

"Mia don't do this," he told her as he felt her lips on his neck. Steve cursed himself for the way he was letting Mia affect him but he also knew that if she were sober she'd be as far away from him as possible, so he did what she would have done, he pushed her away. "Listen Mia, right now you're not in the right state of mind. You're obviously very drunk. If you were sober it'd be another story. You'd probably be as far away from me as possible. Now let's not complicate this anymore than it already is and get in the truck so I can take you home."

Steve was looking into Mia's eyes as he spoke. She seemed to be thinking it over and after a few seconds she had apparently made her decision.

"Okay," she said smiling big at him, "take me home."

Steve just rolled his eyes noticing she obviously had no idea what he had just said.

When they arrived at her building, Steve quickly made his way around to her door with the intention of helping her out.  
"You okay to walk?" he asked her as he held onto her waist.

"Yes, sir," she saluted at him, mocking his military career then bursting into a fit of giggles.

"I think I'll just help you get up to your apartment."

* * *

Once they were outside her door, Mia leaned against the door frame and played with the tips of her hair as she waited for Steve to open the door.

"Mia where are your keys?" he asked.

"Hmm, I don't know," she replied obviously distracted as she became suddenly fascinated with her split ends. "Wow, look Steve, and I just had it trimmed not so long ago," she pouted.

"Come on Mia help me out here," he muttered as he began checking the pockets on her jeans causing Mia to giggle and lean in closer to him.

"Geez Steve, what will the neighbors think? Can't wait 'til we're inside?" she asked as she started drawing imaginary circles on his chest.

"Ha, found them," he said as if he had just made a big discovery. "Alright Mia, let me just get this door open and you'll be home safe and sound," he promised as he got the door open with a bit of a struggle from having Mia practically hanging onto him.

Once they were inside, Steve closed the door and when he turned to face Mia he didn't know what hit him. He was pushed against the door and suddenly Mia had her lips on his lips, kissing him hungrily and placing her hands around his neck. As he recovered from the momentary shock, Steve couldn't help but respond to Mia's kiss. He returned the kiss with equal hunger and the fact that she began threading her fingers into his hair drove him crazy. He wanted her and he made her notice it as he pressed his growing bulge onto her, eliciting a moan from somewhere deep in her throat. Steve lost it at that moment; he grabbed her legs, pushed her up to him, and carried her to the sofa, momentarily breaking the contact as he laid her down. But before he could go anywhere, Mia grabbed him from the front of his shirt and pushed him on top of her.

"Where do you think your going mister," he heard her whisper against his neck as she put her hands under his shirt, stroking his back with her fingernails driving him crazy and turning him on even more, if possible. He kissed her neck and then returned his attention to her lips grinding his erection against her as she enveloped him with her legs and pressed him closer to her, showing her how much he wanted her. As he felt Mia begin to lift up his shirt he mentally fought an internal battle with himself, should he stop knowing she was drunk and would definitely hate him even more if anything did happen or keep going knowing she was drunk and would definitely hate him even more if anything did happen. Either way she was bound to hate him and Steve didn't want her to hate him anymore than she already did and end up regretting it. He didn't want to take advantage of her current state, so he stopped kissing her and gently removed himself from her.

"We can't do this Mia," he whispered in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."

But Mia wasn't listening; she had other things on her mind as she sat up and wrapped her hands around his neck intent on turning his attention back to what they were doing. "Come on Steve, I know you want this too," she whispered seductively.

"Mia, come on, stop it, you're drunk."

Mia looked like she wanted to cry as Steve removed her hands from around his neck, stood up, and made his way over to the balcony door.

"It's her isn't it?" she asked.

"It's who?" Steve asked her with a confused face.

"Your _'friend'_, Catherine," stated Mia. "I'm not stupid. Tell me Steve, what does she have that I don't?"

"Mia, please don't do this," pleaded Steve as he turned to face outside the balcony doors. If only she knew, he thought, that Catherine was the last person on his mind right now. He wanted her, of that he had no doubt, but not like this. When and if anything did happen between them, he wanted Mia to be completely sober and wanting him too.

"Don't do what Steve? I'm not asking you to explain to me your reasons for leaving me when I needed you the most, for not contacting me while you were gone, for being so selfish. I mean, the least you can do is answer that question." she sneered.

Steve was beginning to lose his temper with Mia. He turned to face her, made his way to her and grabbed her from the arms. He leaned close to her face and told her, "You know what Mia; I'm tired of you accusing me of something I have no idea what you're talking about. So if you're not going to be clear with me then I'm done with this conversation." He let her go and started walking to the door.

Mia didn't know what overcame her. Maybe it was the effect of the alcohol she had consumed that night but she couldn't seem to stop her tongue, and blurted out to Steve's retreating back on the verge of tears, "I was pregnant."

**Note: I know, I know, how could I leave you guys hanging like that right? But I promise we'll see his reaction soon. Someone asked if their child was still alive, I can't answer that but if you continue reading, you'll find out soon enough. In the meantime tell me what you guys think so far. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Note: I'm really glad you're liking what I've written so far. :)  
**

**Chapter 10**

Steve froze with his hand on the door handle. Did he hear her correctly, he asked himself. Did she just say she was pregnant? He turned to face Mia and looked her in the eyes as he asked her,  
"Did I hear you right? Did you just say you were pregnant?"

She instantly sobered. Mia knew she couldn't stop now even if she wanted to. She was tired of pretending not to care, of not knowing why he did what he did. She wanted answers and Steve was going to give them to her.

"The day after you left, I went looking for you after school when you never showed up to class," she said as she wiped away the lone tear that fell from her eye. "I thought you were sick or something. Your dad answered the door and I could immediately tell something was not right by his grim expression upon seeing me on his doorstep."

**_*flashback*_**

"Hello Mia. What a surprise," greeted John McGarret as he motioned for Mia to come in. "Shouldn't you be at work?" he said as he looked at his watch.

"Yeah I know, it's just that Steve wasn't at school today and I got worried. He never misses class. Is he sick?" she asked as she looked around the house for a sign of Steve.

"No he's not sick and he's not home either," answered Steve's dad as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Listen Mia, you might want to sit down for this," he motioned to the sofa and once she was seated, he took a seat on the coffee table right in front of her. "Steve's gone. He should be landing on the mainland as we speak."

Mia was confused. Why would Steve be in the mainland? Why did he leave without a word to her? Facing John, she asked, "What do you mean? Steve can't be in the mainland. He didn't mention anything to me. Why would he leave Hawaii?"

"He didn't leave on his own volition Mia. I had to send him and MaryAnn away from Hawaii. It's not safe for them here. I recently discovered that my wife's death wasn't accidental. She was killed."

"Oh my god," she gasped as she placed her right hand on her lips. "I'm so sorry Mr. McGarret. Who would do something so cruel to Mrs. McGarret?" asked Mia with tears in her eyes. "She'd never hurt anyone intentionally."

John placed both hands on top of Mia's and said, "That's what I'm trying to find out. In the meantime, my kids cannot be on this island. That's why I placed them on the first flight out of here last night. I promised Steve I would fill you in on what happened and why he didn't have time to contact you."

"Mr. McGarret, I understand, I really do, but I have to talk to Steve. It's really important that I do. He has to know what I just found out. Please give me a number where I can contact him or an address where I can write to him," pleaded a very distraught Mia.

"I'm sorry Mia, I can't do that. For my children's safety I can't tell you where either of them are," answered John looking at Mia with an apologetic expression. "But if you want you can tell me. Maybe I can help you."

Mia stood up and moved away from John. She began pacing the length of the living room, debating on whether or not to tell John the news that she was pregnant with Steve's baby. He would be really disappointed. They were only sixteen and fifteen. Too young to become parents, but she had to tell someone. She couldn't keep it to herself any longer. She was terrified, so mustering all the courage she possessed, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant."

"I'm sorry I think with my old age I'm starting to hear things," he said with a small laugh as he stood up and turned to face Mia. "I thought I'd just heard you say you were pregnant, which can't be true." But when he looked up for a confirmation that he heard wrong, her tears confirmed he had not heard her wrong nor was he imagining things.

"I'm so sorry," cried Mia as she covered her sobs with her hands. "I'm so so sorry."

The next thing she knew, she felt two strong arms embrace her. She cried it out for about five minutes and once she began to calm down, John released her and led her to the couch so she could sit down.

John was pacing the living room trying to grasp the idea that his sixteen year old son had just gotten his fifteen year old girlfriend pregnant."God, you're only fifteen. You're just a kid! Steve and you have your whole lives ahead of you. What were you guys thinking?" he asked. He snorted and scratched his forehead, "You kids probably weren't _even_ thinking."

"Steve has to know. I'm terrified; I can't do this on my own. I don't know what to do."

"Alright, let's calm down," he said sitting next to Mia and patting her hand. "I'll contact Steve and let him know what's going on. Then we'll go on from there."

_Two days later..._

Mia was closing up the shop she worked at when she heard someone call her. She turned to find Steve's dad on the doorway.

"Hi Mia. I'm here to give you a ride home, and to talk to you," he stated.

Mia noticed his serious tone and nodded, "Yeah, okay, let me just finish up here. Give me five minutes please."

John nodded and told her he'd be right outside waiting for her.

During the ride to Mia's house, both passengers were quiet. Mia was becoming anxious and couldn't take the silence any more, so as soon as they pulled up in front of her house she turned in her seat and asked John if he had talked to Steve.

John nodded took a deep breath and told her, "I'm sorry Mia." Turning to look her in the eyes he said to her, "Steve wants nothing to do with the baby."

**_*end of flashback*_**

When Mia was finished telling Steve what had happened, she was on the floor with her head down in tears. Then she looked up with tears streaming down her face and faced Steve.

"That can't be true," said Steve, in a state of disbelief, refusing to acknowledge what his father had done to Mia, to him.

"Why are you acting so shocked, huh Steve. You knew all of this already. Your father told you I was pregnant with your child and yet you refused to man up to your responsibility."

Steve refused to believe what Mia was telling him. His eyes were red with unshed tears as he got down on the floor and grabbed Mia from the shoulders. "You're lying. You've got to be lying," he choked out as he shook her. "My father, the man I knew, would've never done something like that, something so cruel like keeping me away from my child."

"Stop lying! Stop acting like you didn't know anything!" she yelled as she pushed him away and got to her feet, "You knew about it all. He looked me in the eyes as he told me you wanted nothing to do with the baby and me! Why would he have lied Steve?! Answer me!"

"I swear to you, Mia, I had no idea about any of this," he choked out as he stood up to face her. "If I'd known I was going to be a father, I would have gotten on the first plane back home. I would've never left you alone with any of that. You've got to know that's true. I don't know why he lied, honestly I have no idea."

"Well either he lied, or you're the one lying to me," Mia spoke with clenched teeth.

"How do I know you're not the one that's lying, huh? Tell me," demanded Steve, confused and angry for what he had just found out.

"Why would I lie about something like this Steve? I loved you and your family so much; I would never lie about your father that way. He was like the father I never had. I would never make up such story."

"I don't know Mia. Maybe that's why you're lying to me. You loved me so much you couldn't fathom the idea of me leaving you. Maybe you're still stuck on what we had that you can't let go of the past."

Mia didn't even think twice after what she heard come out of Steve's mouth. If she was upset before, now she was furious. She slapped Steve so hard across the face, leaving her hand print on his right cheek.

That hit took Steve by surprise. Maybe he had crossed the line, but he was confused and angry. He didn't know what to believe. Maybe he did believe it and that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he could not believe his father, the man he grew up to admire, could be so cruel. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I just, I'm just very confused but if one thing I am certain about is that I had absolutely no idea about the baby."

Mia looked into Steve's eyes not knowing whether to believe him or not. But looking at how distressed he seemed to be, she couldn't help but tell herself that maybe he was telling the truth. She was so confused, maybe even more than Steve.

"I don't know what or who to believe anymore. This is all so confusing. Why would your dad lie, Steve? I thought he liked me. I never gave him any reason not too," she weakly told him.

"I don't know Mia; I'm as confused as you are. Something is not right."

Mia nodded, agreeing with him that something was definitely not right, but she was exhausted, she didn't want to talk about it any more. Before she could tell Steve that he should probably leave now, she heard him ask the question she'd been dreading all along.

"You said you 'were pregnant', what happened to the baby Mia?" he asked wanting to know where his child was at.

Mia shook her head back in forth, "I, I can't do this now Steve. Please let it go."

"Let it go, Mia?" asked an incredulous Steve. "You're asking me to let it go after telling me I was going to be a father? Tell me what happened to it. I have every right to know where my child is." He grabbed her once more from the arms and shook her once as he begged her to tell him what had happened to the baby, causing Mia to burst into tears once more.

Not looking him in the eyes she told him in between sobs, "I lost it."

Steve immediately released her and took a step back as he heard her. "What do you mean you lost it?" he asked not wanting to believe the thoughts running through his head at all the different scenarios the simple response 'I lost it' could represent.

"I lost it Steve! There's no baby!" she yelled at him.

"What? Did you," he paused, took a deep breath and asked, "Did you get rid of it? Did you have an abortion?"

She quickly looked up to him and said, "I would never do that, Steve. Even though I was really young and in place to be a mother, I wanted the baby so much. I had a miscarriage."

Steve didn't know how to react to that. He reached out to her, pulled her towards him and hugged her. "I, wow, I'm sorry Mia. I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," he whispered into her hair as he placed a small kiss on her head. "I can't imagine what you must've gone through. Do you think you can tell me how it happened?"

Mia shook her head against his chest, "I can't, Steve. It was an accident. Please don't ask me to relive that moment. It just hurts too much." She pulled away from give and wiped her tears as she turned her back on him. "I think you should go home now Steve. We both need time to process everything that just happened."

Steve reluctantly nodded in agreement. He didn't want to leave her alone after everything she had just told him. "Alright, but promise me you'll get some rest. You need it."

Mia nodded and he walked up her placed a kiss on her forehead, and left her apartment.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next day, Steve woke up with so many questions running through his head. He'd hardly slept, spending the majority of the time tossing and turning. Around five thirty in the morning he gave up trying to get any sleep at all, so he got up and went for his morning run along the beach. Around six thirty, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Steve arrived back at his place. He took off his shirt and made his way into the water hoping a nice long swim would help clear up his mind since the run did nothing to help him.

By the time Steve got out of the shower and found something to eat, it was eight in the morning. He stood in the kitchen leaning against the counter with a coffee mug in his hands lost in thought. A dad, I was going to be a dad, he thought, and I had absolutely no idea, until last night. He was angry, angry at his mom for faking her death, angry at his father for not telling him anything, angry at Mia for not telling him sooner. If she hadn't had all those beers last night he wouldn't have had to take her home and she wouldn't have told him anything. She probably would've still been unfairly hating him.

* * *

That's how Danny found him five minutes later.

"Knock, knock," said Danny as he stood at the kitchen entrance. "I knocked but apparently you've got better things to do than to open your door. What's with the aneurysm face so early on such a beautiful Saturday morning?"

"What are you doing out of bed so early on such a beautiful Saturday morning," mocked Steve as he turned to pour his cold coffee in the sink.

"Hey no need to get all, all..."

"All what Danny?" asked Steve sounding annoyed.

"Geesh what crawled up your ass this morning?"

"Sorry Danny, it's just I had a really bad day yesterday," apologized Steve.

"Didn't we all? I was there remember?"

"Yeah, well you weren't at Mia's apartment last night," he stated dryly.

"Why, what happened?" asked Danny suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said as he left the kitchen and made his way to the lanai, Danny quickly following him. Steve stood with his hands on his hips just staring at the horizon watching the waves in the distance until he remembered Danny was there. "So to what do I owe your lovely visit Danno?" he asked sarcastically.

Danny just watched his friend from aside. Something was up with him and he would make it a mission to figure it out, he thought. Then he heard Steve's sarcastic remark and was slightly offended, "Geesh if I'm such a bother to you I'll just leave you to your self pity party. The only reason I'm here is because you my friend invited me to go fishing with you, but since I see it's not a good day I'll just find my way out."

Steve turned to see Danny slowly make his way back inside. Maybe this fishing trip will help me relax a bit; get my mind off things for a while, he thought, and I did invite Danny.

"Hey Danny, wait up," he called after Danny as he followed his friend inside.

When he saw Danny skeptically turn around with his hands in his pockets and raised eyebrows, he finally took the time to take in what his friend was wearing, clothes, casual clothes, very different from Danny's usual attire. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he noticed this.

"What? What's so funny?" asked. Danny not impressed by Steve's laugh.

"Sorry Danno, it's just that it's rare the occasion you're actually out of your tie," answered Steve with a smirk on his face. "But you're right, I invited you fishing and we're going fishing. Let me just grab my stuff." Steve started making his way upstairs when he heard Danny,

"We don't have to go. I understand if you're not up to it."

"Wait in the truck," said Steve as he disappeared upstairs.

* * *

Mia woke up with a pounding headache and her eyes puffy from crying all night after Steve had left. She'd almost slept with him last night. What was I thinking, she thought, and to top it off she told him about the baby to which he said he knew nothing about. Mia still didn't know whether to believe him or not and the more she thought about it, the worse her pain got. She slowly got out of bed in search of something to calm her headache. She found some Tylenol in her bathroom cabinet and quickly took two.

Two hours later, after a long warm bath, some fruit and yogurt for breakfast, and several glasses of water to calm her thirst, Mia was ready to start her day. She dressed in a casual yellow sundress, strapped white sandals, and a very light white sweater in case of a breeze. She had decided to leave her hair down letting it fall down to her mid back, instead of her usual bun or ponytail and just added some small waves to it. Mia grabbed her car keys, purse, and sunglasses and left her apartment. She drove towards the beach, parked her car in the nearest parking lot to the shops and decided to do some shopping. Mia wanted to forget about last night, at least for a while, and alcohol was obviously out of the question since she didn't want a repeat of last night. So what better way to distract her self than shopping? She was only human and a woman to be exact. Wondering through the shops, she bought some jeans, shorts, T-shirts, and just some clothes in general for work. She noticed the work attire wasn't strictly professional, except for Danny, it was more laid back and with this heat she was glad about it.

After two hours of shopping, Mia was starving, so she walked back to her car, put her bags in the trunk and made her way towards Kamekona's shave ice/shrimp truck, remembering he'd told her about it the day they met at the hospital while Max was there.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted with a toothy smile as he saw her approach.

"Hey yourself," she answered with a bright smile in return.

"To what do I owe your lovely presence," he flirted making Mia laugh.

"I'm starving," she said as she found a table and took a seat, "I forgot how tiring shopping can be."

"Ah, find anything interesting?"

"I just bought some clothes for work and a few gifts for some friends back in New York."

"Nice," he said. "So what can I get you?"

"Surprise me," answered smiling up at him.

"That's a very dangerous request," she heard someone behind her say.

Mia turned to see Chin standing behind her and invited him to join her to which he gladly accepted.

Turning to Kamekona she said, "Just get me your best dish. You want anything Chin, my treat."

"Sure, I think I'll raise to the challenge and let Kamekona surprise us both," he said smiling at him.

"Alright, be right back with your orders."

When he left, Mia turned to face Chin and asked him how he was doing as she placed a hand on his.

Chin squeezed her hand and told her, "I'm okay, I'll get through this."

"I know we haven't known each other long but I want you to know that if you ever need a friend I'm here for you. Doesn't matter what time it is, I'll be there for you," she genuinely told him.

"Thank you Mia, I really appreciate it and the same goes for you," he said with a smile.

Mia nodded and soon they were eating some really spicy shrimp concoction that Kamekona put together. Even though it was extremely spicy, whatever it was, it was really good. They ate in comfortable silence until a chirp from Mia's cell phone signaling a text message interrupted it.

_ Meet me at the beach behind  
your childhood home as soon as  
possible._

Mia had no idea who could possibly have sent her that text, but she was about to find out.

"Hey Chin I have to go. Something just came up. Sorry about having to leave you here but here let me pay the bill before I go."

"Everything alright?" he asked studying her closely.

"Yeah, just something I need to do," she said looking into her purse to get her wallet.

"Don't worry about the bill, I got it."

"I invited you, the least I can do is pay."

"Yeah, well maybe another time. Look at it as a welcome to Hawaii lunch for the new kid on the block," he said smiling at her.

Mia laughed and after making sure he was positive about it, she agreed and quickly left.

* * *

"Beer?" asked Danny handing one over in Steve's direction.

"Thanks," said Steve as they sat down to wait for their fish.

"So do you want to talk about what has you so distracted, which let me tell you my friend, is a very rare thing in you. You're always very alert to your surroundings," observed Danny.

"No but you're still going to make me talk about it," grunted out Steve.

"I would never make you talk about anything if you didn't want to," defended Danny earning him a snort from Steve in reply as he sipped on his beer.

"Come on Danno, you know it's killing you not knowing," teased Steve.

After two minutes of silence, Danny gave up, causing Steve to laugh out loud. "Alright, alright I give, what happened with Mia last night?"

"I knew it Danny, it took you long to give in," Steve said as his laughter died down.

"Yeah, yeah laugh all you want. Now are you going to tell me or are you going make me get it out of you?" asked Danny annoyed at Steve for laughing at him.

Steve became suddenly serious as he stared straight ahead at the water and told Danny, "I found out last night I'm a father."

Danny spit out the beer he was sipping and choked on whatever was making its way down his throat.

"Hey Danno you alright?" asked Steve full of concern for his friend as he patted Danny on the back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he wheezed waving him off. "Dude, next time you're about to say something like that give a man a fair warning in advance."

"Hey, you asked," defended Steve.

"Yeah, whatever. So, what you and Mia have a kid together? Did you meet him? Or her? Man shouldn't he be like eighteen or something since the last time you saw her you were sixteen? Damn Steve, if that was my daughter I would've hunted you down and killed you with my bare hands for knocking her up. Ever heard of protection?" ranted Danny.

"No I didn't meet him or her because there is no child and yeah it would've been around eighteen," stated a somber Steve.

Danny was confused by Steve's statement. "What do you mean there's no child?"

"There's no child Danny," choked out Steve as all the memories of last night came flooding back. "She lost it."

"I'm sorry man," said Danny as he placed a hand on Steve's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Danny was surprised at seeing this side of Steve, very raw and emotional. Couldn't imagine what it must have felt like finding out you're a father and then being told there's no kid, but Danny was confused: how did Steve know this? After a few minutes of silence, he asked Steve, "How did you find out?"

"I just told you, I was at Mia's place last night."

"Yeah but how did you end up there if Mia hates you."

Steve told him everything that happened last night, from their almost sleeping together to what his father did. Bringing back all those memories made Steve feel like crying it out but he didn't want anyone seeing him so weak so he swallowed the lump in his throat. "So there you have it, what's your take?" he asked Danny not really caring if he answered or not but knowing Danny, he always had a comment for everything.

"Man it's all messed up. Can't believe your dad would do something like that," Danny told him as he tried to process everything Steve just told him. "Remember how I told you that something wasn't right? Maybe this was it and that's why Mia hates you. It's understandable; I mean all these years she thought you didn't care about the baby or about her. That maybe you just used her. But from what you tell me about it being out of character for your dad, I think there's something missing. He must have had a very good reason for doing what he did," reasoned Danny.

"Yeah, well who do we ask?" asked Steve. "My father's dead."

"He must have talked to someone about it, someone he trusted a lot."

"Joe," said Steve as he realized maybe Joe White knew something but now Joe was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared the moment Shelbourne opened the door and he remembered how Joe mentioned the other day in his office that Mia's name sounded familiar. Joe told him he might have talked to him about her but to the best of Steve's knowledge, he'd never even mentioned her name to anyone.

"Then we should try finding Joe and ask him some questions," suggested Danny. After a small pause he asked Steve,"What about Catherine?"

"What about her?" asked Steve, snapping out of his trance.

"Well isn't she your girlfriend? And you practically cheated on her by almost sleeping with your ex?"

"She's not my girlfriend and to be honest, she was the last person on my mind last night."

"Then what is she, friends with benefits? Sleeping buddy?"

"No, she's, well.." Steve was at a loss of words earning him an 'I told you so' look from Danny.

"Hey I got something," said Danny as he pulled up the fishing rod.

Steve quickly went to help Danny and as they were putting the fish away, Steve saw someone approaching in a smaller boat. "Hey look Danny, that guy looks like he needs help."

What they both didn't know was they were about to be left stranded in the middle of the ocean, the middle of nowhere.

* * *

Mia parked outside her childhood home about twenty minutes after leaving the beach. As she observed the house from outside, she took in the abandoned look. No one had kept up with the house, who would? The only people that had access to the inside were her and her mother, but her mother had disappeared a long time ago, the day of her accident to be more exact. Mia took a deep breath, let it out, grabbed her gun from the glove compartment and got out of the car. She didn't know who had sent her the text so she wasn't willing to take any chances. She slowly walked around the house with her gun ready and trying not to make any noise. As she came into view of the backyard she saw a lone figure standing close to the water so Mia slowly walked closer to the water and as she got closer she recognized the person standing there.

"Doris?" she asked in a confused voice as she put down her gun.

"Hey Mimi," she answered as she turned around to face Mia, taking in the gun she had.

"What are you doing here? Didn't Steve put you on a plane last night?"

"Yes but I couldn't leave. I'm tired of running and I need your help."

"My help? What do you need?"

"I need you to let me stay here, in your house," Doris said pointing to the house behind Mia.

"Are you sure? I mean this house is practically abandoned. It's probably a mess on the inside."

"It's the last place anyone would look for me. And don't worry; I can help get it cleaned up. It'll give me something to do."

"What about Steve? He has to know you're still in Hawaii. I mean, he just got you back," stated Mia.

"He can't know," quickly stated Doris and at Mia's confused face, she added, "at least not now. Just give me a few days."

Mia was skeptical. Keeping this from Steve was wrong. They already had too many issues to resolve and if he found out he helped his mother hide he would be pissed at her, but Doris needed her and she would give her a few days. If Doris didn't tell Steve, she would.

"Alright," she agreed. "But if you don't tell Steve soon then I will. Let me just get the keys. There should be a copy somewhere around here," she said as they began walking towards the back porch.

She found they key under a loose floor board, unlocked the door, and made their way inside.

**Note: Hope you guys are liking the story. Don't forget to review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

******A/N: Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween, I know I did :) Sorry for the delay but I'm back with another chapter. Hope you like it.**

"Were you able to get a hold of Mia?" Kono asked Chin as they left the suspect's apartment.

"No. She's not answering," answered Chin.

"I thought you were with her earlier, she didn't say where she was heading?"

"No, she got a text on her cell and said something came up so she left."

"Who's Mia?" asked Catherine.

"Five-O's newest member. The governor added Special Agent Mia Summers to help the team build a case against WoFat because he's also a person of interest to the FBI," explained Chin.

"So, another babysitter?"

At Chin's and Kono's questioning looks, Catherine explained, "Steve told me about Agent Lori Weston and how she was put on the team to report back to the governor."

The cousins laughed and Kono said, "Yeah, but don't make the same mistake Danny did by calling her a 'babysitter'. She made it very clear she's here to work and not to babysit."

"Interesting, can't wait to meet her," said Catherine.

* * *

Three hours later, the team was waiting for their co-workers on the dock after being found by the coast guard. Once Steve and Danny arrived, the case of the dead body that was found in the boat was handed over to Five-O.

"I am never going fishing again with McGarret," stated an obviously pissed Danny.

"Come on Danny it wasn't my fault," defended Steve.

"You're the one that said the man in the boat needed help. You're the one that offered to help him and look where it got us, stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead body," ranted Danny. "Where's Mia?" he asked after taking in everyone that was there and noticing she was the only one missing.

"We don't know," answered Chin. "I've called and left various messages but she hasn't returned them."

Just as Chin finished, they heard, "Sorry, I was just doing some stuff and forgot my phone in the car," apologized Mia as she jogged towards the team.

Steve took in Mia's appearance and apparently he wasn't the only one that noticed because the next thing he heard was Danny asking what happened to her.

"What happened to you? Did your "stuff to do" involve a dumpster?" Danny asked as they all noticed her once yellow dress was full of dust and dirty spots, and her hair was thrown in a messy bun.

"You can say that," she replied not really looking at anyone. "So what did I miss?"

"Steve and Danny were hijacked in the middle of the ocean and they ended up finding a dead body," answered Catherine.

"I'm sorry, you are?"

"I'm sorry, where are my manners, I'm Catherine Rollins and you must be Mia Summers. Chin and Kono were telling me about you," Catherine said as she extended her hand to Mia, which Mia shook politely.

"Right, Catherine. You were put in charge of Doris to keep men like WoFat _away_ from her," Mia said not ready to play nice with Steve's _girlfriend_. "Tell me something, _Catherine_, where were you when WoFat got into the same room Doris was in?"

"Excuse me?" asked Catherine obviously confused by Mia's attitude towards her. "I was doing my job, checking the perimeters, making sure he wasn't around."

"Well obviously if WoFat somehow managed to get into the same room as Doris, someone wasn't doing their job right."

"Mia I think that's enough," Steve said trying to calm the tension surrounding Mia and Catherine.

Mia turned to look at Steve and saw his serious expression like he meant business. She knew people were staring but frankly she didn't care. She was dirty, tired, and to top it off, she had to run into Steve's girlfriend in her current state.

"You know what Steve,"

"I said enough Mia," he enforced. "Why don't you and Danny head on to headquarters to get cleaned up and see what you can find on the victim."

Mia was pissed at Steve for the way he just talked to her in front of everyone so without another word she turned and walked towards her car.

* * *

Steve didn't know how to react to Catherine and Mia meeting. He didn't think they would meet here, like this. He wanted to get them out of this uncomfortable situation so he sent Mia and Danny back to headquarters, while Chin, Kono, and he stayed to examine the boat. Catherine told him she would see him later.

* * *

Mia saw Catherine hug Steve goodbye. She noted that hug was a more than '_just friends_' hug and didn't understand why he would refer to Catherine as a '_friend_' if it was obvious they were more than that, just like she suspected. Mia shook her head and was about to get in her car when she heard Danny calling her.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Mind if I catch a ride back with you? As you can see I don't have a car," laughed Danny.

Mia responded with a laugh as she took in his appearance as she said, "Yeah, sure, just don't get my car dirty."

"Hey you're the one that looks like she went through a dumpster," defended Danny.

"Get in the car Daniel," laughed Mia.

* * *

On the ride back to headquarters, Mia kept thinking about Doris and how she was hiding in her old home. Mia didn't understand why Doris didn't want Steve to know she'd never left. She didn't want to hide it from Steve but at the same time she felt like she owed it to Doris. That's why her clothes were dirty and her hair was a mess. She had helped Doris clean up a bit at least enough for her to be able to have a clean place to sleep in tonight. When Mia was going to go buy more cleaning supplies and some groceries for Doris she saw all the missed calls from Chin and Kono so she had to postpone those errands for later. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed Danny's question.

"So how long did you and Steve date?" he casually asked, a bit too casually if you asked her.

"A little over a year," she said as she just looked straight ahead towards the road.

"I've always asked myself, how was Steve as a kid. Was he the same Neanderthal animal he is today?" asked Danny with a smirk on his face.

"He's not that bad Danny," she replied with a laugh, "maybe just more serious, but deep inside I think he's still a big softy."

"Not that bad?! You're kidding right? You call getting your partner shot on the first day of work not that bad? How about getting us stranded in the middle of the ocean, eh? Not bad enough for you?"

"You're such a drama queen Danny," she said in a joking tone.

"I am not a drama queen. I'm just stating the facts," he defended. "And why are you defending him after he supposedly was a jerk to you." Danny immediately regretted his words the moment he spoke them as he saw her flinch.

"So he told you," she stated more so than asked.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't necessary," he apologized and to himself he mumbled, "god me and my big mouth."

"Don't worry about it Danny," she said, "I just don't make it a habit of putting my personal business out there, specially something as private as that and I wasn't defending him, I was just sharing with you what I've noticed so far."

Danny just nodded in acknowledgment and after a pause Mia answered his earlier question.

"He wasn't as serious and stiff as he is now, maybe that has something to do with the Navy and everything he's been through, I don't know. When we dated he was more open with people and he definitely smiled more. He was really great to others and of course, an awesome quarterback," she smiled as she remembered Steve as a kid. "Definitely a mama's boy. His mothers supposed '_death_' hurt him the most I would say. I mean, Mary was just a baby so she really didn't know what was going on."

Danny studied Mia as she talked about Steve and realized she really did care for him and maybe she still did. "What about your family?"

Mia just gave a small smile and shook her head, "The man you would call my father walked out on my mother when I was just a baby and after that my mother turned to the bottle to help her forget about him."

"What about you? How did she care for you if she was on the bottle all the time?"

"My aunt, her sister, would help out a lot but when I was around five she got tired of my mom always being drunk and eventually left. I had to learn to take care of myself after my aunt left. Eat whatever I could find, get my self ready for school."

Danny was in disbelief at what he was hearing, "What kind of mother does that to their kid? Leave them to fend for themselves."

"Mine did," she stated dryly. "Eventually she was able to stay sober long enough to go work at some twenty-four hour diner, but it wasn't enough. So as soon as I was of age to start working I found a job at some clothing shop. It wasn't a lot but it helped. Fortunately, I had Steve and my best friend Savanna. They gave me some sort of normalcy I never had and of course Doris. She was great, the mother I always wished I had," she finished as they arrived at headquarters. "Some family, right?"

As Mia got a bag from the trunk where she had clothes she'd purchased today, Danny said, "I'm still amazed at how great you turned out. Look at you, all established with a good career on your shoulders."

"Yeah, well I owe that to a really great man that I met years ago," she said as they walked inside.

"Who? A friend? Boyfriend? Wait, are you married?" he asked full of curiosity.

Mia just laughed and shook her head, "None of those Danny, more of an angel that came into my life in a moment when I really needed him in my life."

He nodded totally understanding what she meant. Changing the topic he asked, pointing towards the bag she carried, "What's in there?"

"Clothes and shoes. I did some shopping today. Can't stay like this while I work," she said pointing to her current state and when they arrived at the glass doors she excused herself while she went to the locker room to change.

* * *

Around nine at night the team had finally closed their case and were thinking about going out to grab something to eat and drink. Mia remembered she still had some things to do so she told them if she finished early she would join them but to go on ahead without her. Everyone asked her what she had to do, to which she simply replied, "I have to run some errands." Of course everyone thought it was weird taking in the time it was, a bit late to _'run errands'_.

She went to her office to grab her things and while she was gathering them she heard her door open and close. Turning around she saw Steve standing in front of the door.

"Hey," he said, "can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure," she said as she went and sat on her desk chair and Steve sat on the chair across from her on the other side of her desk.

"I want to talk about last night," he said.

Mia leaned her head against her chair and told Steve as she looked at the ceiling, "I don't want to talk about it Steve. I think everything was pretty much said last night."

"Not everything and you know it Mia," he tried reasoning with her. "You still haven't told me how you lost the baby and I'll respect that for now. Sooner or later I'll want to know how it happened. We still need to figure out why my dad did what he did. I want to know, he must have had a good reason for that. Don't you want to know?"

"He's dead Steve!" she yelled as she bolted out of her chair, placed her hands on the desk as she leaned in and continued in a slightly raised voice, "We'll never know why he did what he did and honestly I don't think I want to know anymore. It's not going to change the past and it definitely won't bring my baby back."

Steve got out of his chair and took the same position Mia was in and leaned in closer as he said in clenched teeth, "I know it won't change anything but I need to know that my father wasn't as cruel as he seemed for what he did. I need to know that he did it for a good enough reason."

Mia took a step back and let out a sarcastic laugh, "So this is what it all boils down to, _you_ needing answers. What's wrong Steve, can't accept the fact that the man we all thought of as an honest, admirable, hero turned out to be nothing but a cold hearted bastard?"

"Not everyone is like you Mia," he sneered.

Mia was taken aback by Steve's comment and the tears brimming in her eyes were proof of that. "Yeah, well I've got all you people to thank for that," she said as she got her stuff and made her way out of her office.

Steve was hot on her heels. He wasn't going to let her have the last word in once more and he was not done talking to her.

"Mia, we're not done talking," he yelled after her.

"Yeah well too bad Commander because I am."

They both stopped on their tracks when they realized they had an audience. Danny, Chin, Kono, _and_ Catherine were all standing there staring at them, obviously having noticed the heated discussion that had taken place moments ago in her office through the glass walls. Damn, stupid walls, he thought.

"Everything alright boss? Mia?" asked Kono.

"I don't know Kono, why don't we let the boss answer that one. Hey Steve, you want to fill your whole team in on more of my personal business since you seem to be really good at it?" she asked him sarcastically, having remembered that Danny already knew.

"Come one Mia that's not fair," he said.

"No, you want to know what's not fair, Steve? The fact that now that you know everything, you want to keep bringing back memories that I never want to remember. You weren't there Steve, you don't know what it felt like and that doesn't give you the right to go telling everyone," turning to the team she said, "Goodnight guys, enjoy your dinner."

And just like that she was gone, but before Steve could go after her Catherine was by his side, "What was that about?"

Steve covered his eyes with his hand and let out an exasperated breath. "I think I'm going to opt out of tonight's dinner, guys," he said to the team. Turning to Catherine, he said, "Listen Cat, we need to talk. There's some stuff I think you should know, but not tonight. I promise to tell you everything; I just need some time to process everything."

"Alright, I understand," she said as she nodded her head. "Just give me a call when you're ready."  
Steve nodded and then left the building, leaving the team and Catherine behind.

**A/N: As usual, don't forget to review :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**A/N: Thank you for the few reviews I got and the new followers. I'm still waiting for the new episodes, since last week's Halloween episode got postponed due to Hurricane Sandy (for those that live in the U.S. you know what I'm talking about.) In the mean time, here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review, I really do like reading whatever anyone has to say, whether good or bad. **

Two weeks passed after Mia and Steve's _'argument'_ and they had barely spoken to each other. They only spoke when absolutely required at work and that was all they talked about. Nothing was mentioned anymore about her pregnancy and Mia could live with that. If she were true to herself, deep down inside Mia did want to know why John did what he did but at the same time she was afraid of what the answer might be. She also didn't know how Steve planned on finding out either. Maybe she should have listened to him that day at her office two weeks ago, but she was tired, tired of constantly arguing about the same thing. So as she laid there in her bed on a Saturday morning, she contemplated on what to do. Maybe she should give Steve the opportunity to explain how he planned on getting the answers he needed that way they could both finally move on and let it rest. Having made her decision, Mia got up and went about getting ready for the day.

It was Saturday and hopefully they didn't have another case. Savanna had invited her to a barbecue at her house to finally meet her daughter and she really wanted some free time to just enjoy it with friends.

As she was tying the strap from her sandal, her cell phone started ringing signaling an incoming call. She thought it was probably Savanna asking her to pick up something on the way but when she looked at the caller id she couldn't help the big smile the crossed her face.

"Hey Peter Pan," she said to her boss and friend, calling him by the nickname she had giving him knowing how much he hated it.

"What have I told you about calling me that," he said trying to sound stern but not succeeding.

"You know deep down you love it," she teased. "To what do I know the honor of your call?"

"You've been in Hawaii for almost a month now and I still haven't heard from you," he told her sounding very serious, but she knew he was just worried about her.

"What about all those emails I've sent you?"

"Those have all been updates on WoFat's case and you know I'm not talking about that."

"I know, I know and I'm sorry, I've just been very busy. If it's not WoFat's investigation, then it's some other case the team gets," she explained.

"I just want to see how you're doing. How you and Hawaii are getting along," he said.

"I used to live here remember?" she said.

"Yeah I know, but I also know the hell you went through while you lived there," he reminded her.

"How could I forget, but honestly I'm okay," she assured him making sure to leave the part where she was working with none other than Steve McGarret out of the conversation.

"I'm glad you're doing okay. Listen I've got to go, Lisa wants to go buy a few things she needs," he said speaking of his wife. "She says 'hello'."

"Give her my greetings too."

"Alright, you take care of yourself and if you need anything don't hesitate to call," he told her.

"Alright, bye Peter," she said and then ended the call.

* * *

When Mia arrived at her friend's house, Savanna was just bringing out the necessary stuff for her husband, Jake, to start the grill. Savanna lived in what people would call a "mansion" that she inherited when he parents passed away. Her family had always been on the wealthy side but they never lost their humbleness and always gave back to those in need. The house wasn't necessarily on the beach. It was more up on a hill but the view that it offered was spectacular.

"Hey need any help?" Mia offered.

"No thank you, this is it for right now. We'll bring the rest later when Jake has the steaks ready. You look great by the way," Savi told her as she took in Mia's outfit which consisted of short denim jeans, an off the shoulder orange-green-and yellow striped blouse, as well as some tanned strapped flat sandals.

"Look who's talking. You're a pretty hot looking mama," Mia returned as she noticed how slim Savi looked after becoming a mom ten months ago.

"Thank you. Hey listen I forgot to tell you..." began Savanna, but before she could finish Mia asked,

"Who's that?" as she heard laughter coming from inside.

"Yeah about that, I might have forgotten to mention..." and before she could finish two men Mia recognized right away emerged from inside.

"Yeah that's what I was trying to tell you," Savi whispered.

"Hey Mia," greeted Jake. "I couldn't believe it when Savi told me you were back in town," he said really happy to see her as he hugged her tightly.

"Yeah I couldn't believe I was back, either," she replied not taking her eyes off of Steve.

"You remember Steve, right?" he joked, but no one laughed.

"How could I forget," she answered him with a forced smile as she took in how good he looked in denim jeans, a blue t-shirt that made his eyes pop out, and sandals.

"Same here," Steve said as he raised his beer taking his time to study Mia.

"Hey Mia let's go inside so you can meet my daughter," interrupted Savi hoping to break the tension.

* * *

"I swear I didn't know until Steve was literally on my front porch," Savanna defended herself as soon as they were in the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it," she said as she looked out the window. "He's Jake's friend and I should've expected it. Sooner or later we were bound to run into each other outside the office."

"I'm really sorry," she apologized.

"Really, it's okay," she assured Savi with a genuine smile. "Why don't you take me to meet your little princess?"

* * *

"Hey man, sorry I didn't tell you about Mia being here," apologized Jake. "I just thought you might not want to come if I told you and I really wanted you here. We haven't talked much lately."

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not the one with the problem and you're allowed to invite whomever you want to your home," replied Steve as he sipped on his beer and stared at the door Mia had just disappeared through.

"Did she ever tell you why she hates you so much?"

"Yeah, she did. It's a long story," he replied as he took a seat on a chair in the table close to the grill.

"Want to talk about it?" Jake asked him.

"Not really but either way you're probably going to hear it from Savi now that Mia told me everything," Steve said as he got ready to tell the story once again and hopefully for the last time.

* * *

"Look at you, you cute little princess," Mia cooed as she held ten month old Kelly. "You definitely got both your parents' good looks."

"So he really denied knowing anything?" asked Savi as she still tried to take in everything Mia had told her about her talk with Steve.

"Yep," she said as she placed baby Kelly on the blanket Mia had placed in front of her on the floor.

"Do you believe him?"

Mia sighed, "I'm not sure, I think I do."

"You think?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she observed her friend playing with Kelly, "Honey, you either do or you don't."

"It's just that he seemed really honest and I'm tired of fighting with him over the same thing over and over. I think I'll just give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he plans on getting answers."

Savanna thought about and then said, "You're right, maybe that's what you need and that way you'll get some sort of closure."

Mia nodded taking in what Savanna just said.

"So is he still a good kisser?" Savanna asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"He's an amazing kisser, gosh just thinking about it turns me on," Mia said looking anywhere but at her friend.

Savanna noticed her friend was blushing profusely so she decided to tease her a bit about it, "Damn girl, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you express yourself that way, especially about a kiss. He must be a god at kissing then to have you reacting that way. I can't imagine how he's in bed now that he's all grown up and with those muscles, probably way better than when you two were teens."

Mia got an extra blanket she saw and threw at Savanna, "Gosh Savi, stop, you're making me blush even more. _I_ can't believe I just said that either and I wouldn't know how he's in bed now. You'll have to ask him or one of his many sex partners throughout the years."

Savanna and Mia laughed causing the baby to laugh too as she noticed both ladies in the room found something funny.

When their laughter died down, Savanna grew serious and asked Mia, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I don't know," she answered as honestly as she could. "Sometimes I still feel like I hate him and other times I wish he would just hold me and kiss me and never let me go, but I know none of that's possible."

"Why not?" Savi asked her not seeing any problem.

"Because Steve obviously doesn't feel the same way and he has a girlfriend."

"I thought you said he told you she was a friend," Savi reminded her.

"Yeah he did but it's obvious that they're more than _'friends'_."

"Maybe you should ask him," suggested her friend as if it were the most obvious and easiest thing in the world.

"What?! Yeah I'm going to go up to him and ask him 'by the way, is Catherine your girlfriend, because if she's not, then maybe we could try to pick up where we left off.'" Mia finished looking at her friend like she was crazy.

Savi shrugged her shoulders, "I'm just saying but you guys don't have to pick up where you left off. You can always start fresh. Anyways, come on let's go check if the food is ready, I'm starving."

"Alright, but I'll take Kelly," Mia said as she picked her up, placed her on her hip and walked after Savi.

"She's all yours for the day," Savi replied.

* * *

"Wow, man, I had no idea," Jake said after Steve updated him on the whole Mia/Steve situation. "After you left, she avoided me for the rest of the time I was there, until I graduated. Then I just left Hawaii and never heard from her until recently when Savi ran into her at her restaurant but then again when I saw her around school I never noticed anything different or any signs of her being pregnant. Maybe I just didn't pay attention. You know how I was back then, just doing my thing."

"Yeah well that's the whole story," he said as he sipped from his beer.

"Now I get why Savanna hated your guts too. She knew and obviously took her friend's side. Those two have always been inseparable since I can remember," Jake concluded taking a sip from his beer.

"Yeah, now I get it too."

"Babe, are the steaks ready?" they heard Savi ask as she and Mia exited the house and made their way towards them.

Jake bolted from his chair as he suddenly remembered about the steaks and sheepishly told her, "Sorry babe, I forgot to put them in the grill."

"Jake we're starving! What were you guys doing this whole time out here?"

"Talking," answered Steve.

"You were probably talking about football. That's all men talk about. Typical," Savi answered rolling her eyes.

"I promise the first one ready is for you," Jake answered as he grabbed his wife from the waist, pulled her in and kissed her.

"Eww, cover your eyes Kelly, you're still too young to see this," Mia joked as she playfully covered the baby's eyes. "Get a room you two."

Everyone laughed.

"You're just jealous because you know you're not getting any tonight," Savi said.

"Hey you don't know that. What about if I meet someone on the way home and take him up on his offer?" Mia joked as she wiggled her eyebrows but as she said that she heard someone choke on their drink. Steve.

"Alright girls, that's too much info I didn't need. You alright there Steve?" asked Jake as he saw Steve coughing.

"Yeah," he squeezed out.

"Okay, we'll be by the pool," Savi informed them. "Call us when the food is ready."

Steve studied Mia from afar with the baby in her arms. She would've definitely made a great mom, he thought, she's a natural.

"You still got it bad for her man," observed Jake as he placed the stakes on the grill.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked feigning ignorance.

"Come on, for a Navy Seal you're a bad liar," Jake said. "I see the way you look at her when you think no one is watching."

"You're imagining things and either way I'm her least favorite person," Steve responded.

"But you guys already cleared the air, didn't you?"

"It doesn't matter plus I'm already seeing someone."

"You're still seeing that Navy chick?" asked Jake not remembering her name.

"Catherine, Jake, her name is Catherine Rollins," Steve reminded him.

"Right, Catherine, so you two already made it official?"

"Made what official?" asked Steve confused.

"You're relationship Steve. Did you ask her to be your girlfriend?"

"No, why? Was I supposed to? I thought it was implied that we had something official, you know after all these years."

Jake rolled his eyes, "Sometimes you make me wonder Steve how you got all the hot girls in school when you don't even know how to ask them to be your girlfriend."

"Hey that's not true, I asked Mia," Steve defended.

"Yeah and she was probably the only one because the rest practically threw themselves at you. Besides, that doesn't count, it was high school," Jake said as he waved his beer around.

"Of course it counted. What we had was serious, even if people thought otherwise," he said giving Jake a pointed look.

"I'm just saying man," Jake said.

* * *

"Did you bring your bathing suit?" Savanna asked Mia as they sat on a lounging chair.

"Of course, I have it under my clothes," Mia responded as she played with Kelly's chubby feet.

"Then what are we waiting for, lets jump in," Savi said as she pointed to the pool with her head.

"What about your daughter?"

"Oh right, let me go change her into her bathing suit. I'll be right back," Savi said as she took Kelly in her arms and walked away.

* * *

Steve saw Savanna make her way inside and noticed Mia was by her self taking in the spectacular view the Hendricks' backyard offered. They didn't live right at the beach's edge, but they still had an amazing view of it. Steve excused himself and made his way towards Mia leaving Jake laughing after him.

"Mind if I join you?" he said. Noticing her startled reaction, he apologized, "Sorry didn't mean to scare you."

"No problem," she said as she motioned for him to take a seat on the lounge chair right next to her.

They were both sitting sideways on the chair, knees almost touching.

"Listen I want to apologize," she began, "I know I overreacted when you came to talk to me. It just bothered me finding out that Danny knew what happened but I have no right because it obviously involves you too and you have every right to need to talk to someone about it. I get it now, I really do, and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry if it bothered you but I really needed to talk to someone about it and I trust Danny. I needed to get someone else's perspective," Steve explained.

Mia nodded, "I understand and I wanted to talk about what you want to do. I've decided to give you a chance and let you find the answers you need. I don't know how you'll do it but maybe it's what we both need, if not then to at least get some sort of closure on the issue."

"The only man I can think of that may have some answers would be Joe White," Steve said. "My father trusted him, he was like family."

"You're commanding officer?" she asked to which Steve nodded.

"Yeah, he mentioned your name sounded very familiar that maybe he had heard it from me but when I thought about it I realized that can't be it because I never mentioned you to anyone," at Mia's raised eyebrow he quickly explained, "it' wasn't because I didn't want to. I did it to protect you. If someone was after my family then I didn't want them to know you were involved with us because it would make you an easy target."

"Alright and now that you mention it, he did say the same thing to me," Mia said as she recalled the day at the hospital.

"I just need to find him. I have no idea where he could be. He just disappeared after he took me to Shelbourne," Steve said.

"Will you let know once you find him?" asked Mia.

"Of course," he promised.

Mia nodded, "In the meantime, can we promise each other to leave this in the past for now and try to be nicer to each other?"

"I promise."

Mia nodded and right then, Savanna was back with Kelly in her arms, both in their bathing suits.

"Come on Mia, let's jump in," Savi told her.

Mia stood up and walked to the edge of the pool and began taking off her clothes. She took off her blouse first and walked back to the chair to put it down. Then she took of her sandals and finally her shorts, revealing a very small black bikini. She walked towards the deep end of the pool and jumped right in, feeling Steve's gaze the whole time.

* * *

Steve took his time admiring Mia's body as she slowly undressed revealing a very small black bikini, which he thought really suited her tanned skin. When she started walking away, Steve didn't even bother hiding the fact he was totally checking her out. That woman has some sort of power over me even after all these years, he thought to him self as he felt his manhood reacting to Mia's lack of clothing. Steve groaned to him self, downed the beer he had brought with him and went back to where Jake was at finishing the steaks.

**A/N: As usual, don't forget to review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**A/N: This is a short chapter that I just felt like posting today. Chapter 15-19 are already uploaded, just waiting to be posted, hopefully I get some feedback in the meantime.**

Twenty minutes later, Jake called out to the girls to come eat.

As Steve saw Mia dry her self off and wrap a towel around her waist, he heard Jake say,

"Hey you're welcome to use the shower inside, it has cold water," he said as he laughed at Steve's obvious discomfort, to which Steve good-naturedly flipped him off earning himself more laughter from Jake.

"What's so funny," Mia asked as they took a seat on the table across Steve.

"Nothing, Jake just being Jake," Steve quickly said before Jake could say anything else.

"If you say so," she said as she filled her plate with food.

"Hey Mia, you're great with Kelly," he said. "I'm pretty sure you'll be a great mom one day."

"Thanks Jake," she said, not feeling the pain in her chest as bad as she usually felt it whenever someone mentioned her being a mom. Maybe coming to Hawaii is helping after all, she thought.

"So what have you been up to all these years? The last time I saw you, you were still walking the halls of our old high school," continued Jake.

"Work pretty much," she said.

"You don't have a boyfriend waiting back in New York?"

"No, why, you plan on introducing me to one of your friends?" she kidded.

Jake pretended to be thinking about it and then said, "Well we have my friend right here, Steve." That earned him a kick under the table from his wife who didn't find it funny. "Oww, what was that for?"

Mia just laughed and pointed out, "I think his girlfriend would have something to say about that Jake."

Steve was just studying Mia the whole time; he didn't even bother commenting on Jake's comment or Mia's response. He was trying to figure her out. Did her response mean that if Catherine wasn't in the picture she would consider Jake's offer?

Snapping out of his thoughts he asked Mia, "How is it that a woman as beautiful as you hasn't been snatched by someone. I mean I would imagine all the guys lined up at your door step."

Mia blushed. "I guess I just haven't found the right guy," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's what everyone says," Jake answered with a roll of his eyes.

To get the attention away from her friend, Savanna asked Steve, "Why haven't you gotten married Steve? From what I understand, you've been seeing the same girl for several years now. What's wrong with her that you can't take the next step?"

"I don't think neither of us is ready for that and she's constantly being deployed," Steve said.

"I think you're just afraid of commitment and you're just using her deployment as an excuse," Savi stated, "you can get deployed at any time as well so you understand what it's like."

"Maybe that's the problem, he knows one of them can be deployed at any time and he doesn't want to be with someone he'll never get to see if they both end up deployed at the same time," Jake said in an attempt to defend his friend.

"Then he wouldn't be with her right now and for this long," Savi pointed out.

Noticing Steve and Mia's discomfort on the issue, Jake decided to change the subject. "So have you heard from your mom?" he asked looking at Mia.

"No and maybe it's better that way," she said as she played with her fork.

"Why's that?" Steve asked.

"I don't know I just don't see how I would want to see someone who was never there."

Steve understood what Mia meant and decided to leave it at that.

The remainder of the day was spent talking, swimming in the pool, and just hanging out. They hadn't done that in years and were all glad for the time they got to spend together. When it was already dark, Mia and Steve decided to call it a night.

* * *

"I had a really great time. We haven't done that in years," Steve said as he leaned against Mia's car, right next to the driver's side as she opened the door to her car.

"Me too, it felt like our own mini high school reunion," she said.

Steve nodded, "Did you go to yours?"

"No I haven't been in Hawaii for years, did you?"

"Nope, I just came back about two years ago, after my father was murdered," he said as he put his hands in his pockets and stared straight ahead.

"Would you have come back if he hadn't been murdered?" she asked him.

"Probably not. We didn't have the best of relationships after he moved Mary and me to the mainland."

"Speaking of Mary, does she know about your mom yet?"

"No and now that you remind me, I found out she never left the island," Steve informed her.

Mia snapped her head up at Steve's words, "What do you mean?"

Steve shrugged as he turned to look at her and said, "Somehow she managed to convince the pilot to turn the plane around and decided to stay on the island. I just don't know where on the island she is."

"How do you know she never left?" she asked, wanting to know if maybe Doris had already contacted him to let him know she never left.

"I asked Cat for her help," he said.

"Catherine? But she doesn't have access to that kind of information," Mia said confused.

"I know. She hacked into this Agent's account that she met at a bar. Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this," he said after he noticed her reaction.

"She hacked into a Federal Agent's account?" she asked in disbelief.

"I know it wasn't right…" he began but was interrupted by Mia.

"It wasn't right, yeah, but it was also illegal!" she exclaimed. "You could have asked _me, I _have access to that information. You know all the Agent's accounts are frequently monitored, she could end up in jail for what she did."

"I know Mia, but if you remember, we weren't in exact speaking terms," he reminded her.

"I would've done it, I mean, it was about finding your mom," she whispered as she played with her keys and looked to the ground.

"I didn't think you would, but if Cat ends up in any sort of trouble because of this then I'll just take all the blame for it," he said as he looked up at the night sky.

"You really do love her, don't you?" she asked as she looked him in the eyes.

"Why do you say that?" Steve asked her confused.

"Well it's obvious if you're willing to sacrifice so much, like your liberty, for her," she told him.

"I'm the one that asked her to do it," he said with a shrug.

"But no one forced her," Mia pointed out.

Steve just shook his head as he stood up straight. "There's only one woman I've ever loved," he said and then turned to look her in the eyes. "Goodnight Mia, drive safe," he said and turned to walk towards his car.

* * *

Mia didn't know how to react to what Steve had just said. Did that mean he still loved her? She watched him drive away into the darkness and once she saw his tail lights disappear, she got into her car and drove back to her apartment completely confused by what Steve had just said and the more she thought about it the more ideas she came up with. He probably wasn't even talking about me, she thought, what about if he met someone else and that's who he's talking about, but what was up with the look he gave her when he said those words. Mia groaned to her self and tried not to think about it too much as she drove to her place.

**A/N:Please review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**A/N: I want to take a moment to thank all those who have taken their time to review:Jenni, RealMcCoy16, Flawless438, Little Miss Sunny, LuB1984, .singing., peaches2010, RealMcCoy17, Plws, Thumper, Rubi, Arya, GreenEyes09, quisinart4. Thank you! Love Reading everyone's comments.  
**

** adrienmaciel: A very special thank you to you for your lovely comment. I don't consider myself a "diva" since I barely began on my first attempt at a story but thank you for the lovely compliment! Really made my day. :)  
**

**Summer51:I personally have nothing against Catherine's character, although I do think her and Catherine don't really have that much chemistry on tv. I think Michelle Borth plays a great character but I still say production should've picked a better match for Steve. Thank you for saying my character should be put on the actual show, that would be unbelievable :)  
**

**Bubleeee: Thank you! I know how you feel. I feel the same way towards some stories and some that haven't been updated in months. I really wish they would be updated soon. I'll take your suggestion into consideration since I already have the next few chapters typed up.  
**

**And anyone else I may have missed, thank you and continue reviewing.  
**

A few days after the small get together Steve knew he had to talk to Catherine. She deserved to know who Mia really was and how Steve knew her, so after he left the office he called her and invited her over to his house.

"So what's the big mystery?" Cat asked while they cleaned up the dinner dishes, which they had actually gotten around to this time.

"I need to talk to you about Mia Summers," he said looking her in the eyes.

"This sounds serious."

"That's because it is. Come on let's go to the lanai to talk," he told her as they finished putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

"What's up Sailor, looks like you have a lot on your mind," Cat told him as she put her hand on his leg just above his knee and gave it a squeeze.

Steve put his hand on top of Cat's and said, "I've known Mia since high school. We dated for a little over a year before my father sent Mary and me to the mainland."

Cat nodded as she took in what Steve was telling her, "I kind of got the impression you two knew each other from before and I don't think she likes me."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I hadn't seen her in years until recently when the governor told us she would be working with the team on WoFat's case and I don't think she dislikes you. I don't know she probably was just worried about Doris. They were really close during the time we dated."

"I see. Why were you two arguing the other day in her office?"

Steve sighed, leaned forward resting his arms on his legs and his face between his hands.

"After leaving my mom at the airport, her friend called me saying Mia was in no condition to drive her self home and no one else could drive her. You know how dangerous it can be for someone to take a cab in a drunken state, especially a woman. So I went to pick her up and took her to her apartment. We started arguing and she told me why she hated me so much all these years," he explained deliberately leaving out the part where she almost slept with her.

Cat rubbed his back as a sign of encouragement for him to go on.

"The day after my father sent us away Mia came looking for me because I wasn't at school that day. She came to tell me," Steve paused, took a deep breath and said, "She came to tell me she was pregnant with my child."

Cat's hand froze.

"You're- you're a dad?" she stammered.

Steve stood up and with his back to her and hands in his pockets he said in a solemn tone, "She lost it."

Catherine stood up, wrapped her hands around his waist from behind and genuinely told him, "I'm sorry."

He turned around in her embrace and returned it as he put his arms around her shoulders. "I know and I wish I could have been there for her. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her to go through all that alone," he whispered.

Catherine was the first to break the embrace as she asked him, "That still doesn't explain why she hates you. I mean I totally understand she would be upset after losing the baby but she can't blame you for it."

Steve shook his head and said, "No she doesn't blame me for that. Mia thinks I wanted nothing to do with her or the baby."

"What?" she asked confused.

"Apparently my father was supposed to call me and tell me but he never did, so he made up some story about me wanting nothing to do with her or the baby."

"Why would he do that?" she asked still confused.

"We don't know that's what we are trying to find out and the only person who can give us those answers might be Joe White."

Cat nodded in understanding, "And what happens when you guys find out the truth?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked in a confused tone.

"I mean, are you and Mia going to try and work things out?" she hesitatingly asked.

Without looking her in the eyes and staring into the darkness of the beach he said, "What Mia and I had is in the past. We're two very different people now and getting answers might just help both of us get some sort of closure."

"Do you still love her?" she asked afraid of what his answer might be.

"I-"

Before he could finish his answer, Steve's cell phone rang. Looking at the caller id he saw that it was Danny. "Hey Danny, what's up?" he asked.

As he listened to Danny, he saw Catherine pick up their glasses of water that they had brought outside with them and take them inside.

"Thanks but I think I'll pass, Cat's here. Whatever Danny, I'll see you at work tomorrow," he finished and ended the call.

* * *

Steve went inside and found Cat sitting in the living room staring at the wall.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her softly as he sat next to her.

"Yeah, just processing everything you just told me," she told him giving him a small smile.

He nodded and grabbed her hand, "Want to call it a night?"

Cat nodded and without letting her hand go, they stood up and Steve led her up the stairs and into his room. He gave her one of his shirts so she could sleep in and for the first time they went to bed and just slept the whole night.

* * *

The morning after Steve woke up to some sound he heard coming from downstairs. He slowly got up trying not to wake Catherine but she woke up either way.

"What's going on?" she asked half awake as she sat up and saw Steve grab his gun.

"I heard some noise coming from downstairs. Stay here while I check it out," he ordered her, but Cat didn't feel like taking orders and she got out of bed too.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked her when he saw her grab the bat by the door.

"I'm going to check it out with you," she said.

"No, you're not coming with me," he whispered loud enough only her to hear.

"Fine, then I'm going on my own," she said with a raised chin and left the room.

"Cat, wait," he said as he went after her and once they met up on the landing he got in front of her and lead the way downstairs towards the noise.

They realized the noise was coming from the kitchen and when they got there, they were shocked to find Steve's mother preparing breakfast.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" he asked surprised.

"Hey. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she said as she took in her son's and Cat's appearance. "I'm making breakfast. How do you guys like your eggs?"

"Yeah Cat, how do you like your eggs?" he asked Cat with sudden interest.

"I, um, no thank you. I actually have somewhere to be," she nervously said. When she saw Steve's questioning look she said, "I have to check into base."

"Are you sure?" Doris asked her.

"Yeah, I'm sure, but thank you," she said as she started backing away from the kitchen.

When Catherine left the kitchen, his mother took the food to the dining table and Steve followed her.

"What are you doing here mom? How did you convince the pilot to turn the plane around?" he asked her.

"I have my ways," she simply said. Turning to face him, she said, "I'm tired of running and hiding Steve. I've done it for the last twenty years and I'm done with that. I want to stay in Hawaii and have a normal life for once."

Before Steve could reply, Danny called him to inform him they had a case.

"I have to go," he told her as he made his way upstairs to change and once he was ready he left the house with his mother there.

* * *

When he got to the crime scene, he noticed he was the last one there.

"What do we have?" he asked Kono.

"A horse racer was killed while practicing around the field," Kono explained and before she could warn her boss about the state of the body he lifted the blanket up and they saw the body had no head.

* * *

When Steve and Mia arrived at headquarters, they saw Steve's mom in his office.

"Chin, what is my mother doing here?" he asked.

"She didn't believe me and figured out you sent me to keep an eye on her," Chin explained.

"I don't need a babysitter Steve," Doris said as she joined them by the computer table.

"You need the extra security. We don't know what WoFat has planned," Steve told her with his hands on his hips.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of my self," she said, "now if you're done, I'm out of here." Turning to Mia she said, "Thank you for everything Mia."

Mia's eyes grew big, suddenly becoming very nervous. Avoiding Steve's questioning and confused look, she said, "No problem."

Watching Doris leave, Mia tried to excuse hers elf claiming she was going to check some things regarding the case. She didn't get very far when she heard Steve call her.

"Not so fast Mia," he said and when he saw her turn to look at him he growled out, "In my office, now."

"I knew this was a bad idea," she mumbled to herself as she stole a brief glance at Chin and all she got from him was a confused look mixed with sympathy because he knew that whatever Steve was going to say to her was not good if his tone was any indication.

Mia walked into his office and as soon as she was inside Steve shut the door.

"Explain, now," he demanded.

Not able to look him in the eyes, she said, "I'm sorry Steve."

"Sorry? Sorry for what? What did you do? What is my mother thanking you for?" he asked her as he stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

Mia began pacing in front of Steve's desk as she rambled, "I swear I told her it was a bad idea. I made her promise she would tell you as soon as possible, I told her she only had a couple of days to do it and if not then I would tell you but then it became so busy around here and I forgot all about it and then she shows up here and..."

"Mia, stop," he said as he stopped her pacing by grabbing her from the shoulders. "You're not making any sense. I don't know what..."

And just like that it suddenly hit Steve what she was talking about.

"You knew," he whispered letting her go as if she suddenly was poison. "You_ knew_ and you didn't say anything?" he asked incredulously.

"She begged me Steve. She begged me for my help. I tried to convince her that it was a bad idea. That she should tell you but she said she just needed a few days and I couldn't say no to her. Where was she going to go?" Mia tried explaining.

"It doesn't matter! You knew she never left! Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded to know. "After all the grief you gave me over having Catherine hack into an Agent's account, you already knew and you kept it to yourself."

"If you would have told me that's what you planned on doing I would have told you sooner," she tried reasoning with him.

"That's not the point Mia. The point is that you lied to me, you kept it from me knowing how important finding her was."

"I'm so sorry Steve. I know it was wrong," she apologized.

"Yeah well too little too late don't you think?" he snarled. "Where did you hide her?"

Mia didn't want to answer that because Steve was already furious with her.

"I know you're furious and you have every right to be..." she began but was interrupted by Steve.

"Dammit Mia, answer me! Where did you hide her?!" he boomed.

"My house," she whispered but it was loud enough that Steve heard her.

"Your house?" he asked confused.

Mia nodded, "The house I lived in before moving away. We never got rid of it."

Steve let out a small laugh as he shook his head, "You're right Mia, I am furious, but most of all, I'm disappointed."

* * *

_*At the same time, in the bullpen*_

Chin was trying to block out Mia's and Steve's loud voices, well mainly Steve because it seemed he was the one doing all the yelling, by working on their current case when Danny and Kono walked in.

"Hey cuz, I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on Steve's mom," Kono said.

_"It doesn't matter! You knew she never left! Why didn't you tell me?"_

"Woo, what was that?" Danny asked as they all turned to look in Steve's office.

"They've been going at it for the last fifteen minutes," Chin said as he resumed his work.

"What happened?" Kono asked.

"I'm not sure but I think it has something to do with Steve's mom," he explained.

"What do you mean, why do you say that?" Danny asked turning his attention from Steve's office to Chin.

"When Mia and Steve got here, Doris was here waiting for him. After convincing him that she was fine on her own she left but not without telling Mia _'thank you for everything'_. Steve caught that and hence the argument inside," he said motioning towards Steve's office with his head.

_"Dammit Mia, answer me! Where did you hide her?!"_

They all winced at Steve's words and Danny said as they were all once again focused on the scene inside the office, "I would definitely not want to be in her place."

* * *

After a few more minutes the door flew open and Steve came storming out, "Daniel, let's go, now!" he ordered.

Not wanting to anger him anymore than he already was, Danny followed his partner's footsteps.

"Steve, wait, Steve!" Mia yelled after Steve from the door of his office but it was of no use, Steve ignored her and left.

Danny just gave her a sympathetic look as he went after Steve.

* * *

"Damn it Steve, slow down! You're going to get us killed!" Danny yelled as he held on for dear life while Steve sped down the streets of Honolulu.

"I honestly wish I were dead right now," he growled out.

"Yeah well I don't! In case you forgot, I have a daughter!" he yelled once more. "I understand you're angry, but don't take out on my car or me."

After hearing Danny's words, he slowed down realizing he was right. "You're right Danny. I'm sorry, it's just that first I find out my mother faked her own death, then my father kept something very important from me, and now I find out that Mia helped my mother hide. She knew my mother never left Hawaii and she never told me. Honestly, I'm getting tired of all these surprises."

"She knew?" Danny asked in disbelief.

Steve nodded, "And you know where she helped her hide?"

Danny shook his head, "No, where?"

"Her house," Steve laughed, "It was the perfect place. Who would ever think of finding her there? I certainly didn't. But that's not the worse part, the worse part is that while she was giving me a hard time for having Cat hack into an FBI account, she was looking me in the eyes and acting like she didn't know anything."

Danny suddenly understood what was wrong with his partner and friend. Sure he was mad for what Mia did, but most importantly, he was hurt. He was hurt because Mia kept something so important from him and it wasn't that she kept the information of Doris' whereabouts from him, it was more the fact that it was _Mia_ the one who kept it from him. Danny laughed.

"You find something I just said funny, Danno?" he asked as he gave his friend a brief glance.

"You my friend," Danny said. "I get it. You're not that upset about the fact that your mother hid all these weeks in Mia's house or that Mia helped her. What really has you all wired up is the fact that it was _Mia_ that kept it from you."

"What are you talking about," he asked obviously confused.

"The fact the Mia didn't confide in you bothers you more than you want to admit and that has only one explanation," Danny said.

"Which is?" Steve asked in annoyance.

"You still care for her," Danny stated matter of fact.

"Of course I care for her, she's part of the team just like you and Kono and Chin," Steve said as if it were obvious.

"Seriously man, sometimes you make me wonder how you ever managed to become a Navy SEAL," Danny said as he shook his head back and forth at Steve's lack of understanding. "What I meant was that you still have _feelings_ for her."

"That's not true," Steve was quick to reply.

"Sure it is buddy, but keep telling your self that. Maybe one day you'll actually believe it," Danny said as he unbuckled his seat belt when he noticed they had arrived to speak to the owners of the club where the murder had occurred.

* * *

Mia was in her office studying what they had gathered so far on the case of the boy who was killed while practicing on his horse for the race when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

When she looked up she saw that it was Kono.

"Hey Kono, what can I do for you?" she asked her.

"I just wanted to see if you were alright," Kono said referring to the scene from earlier.

Mia liked Kono. She was a great cop but overall she was a great person who really cared for others and Mia was glad to be able to count with someone like her.

"Yeah I'm okay. Steve has every right to be mad at me for keeping it a secret the fact that I knew his mother was on the island."

Kono nodded in understanding. "Is that where you disappeared to the day of the boat incident?"

"Yeah, I was helping Doris get the house I used to live in a bit clean. No one had been in it since I left Hawaii," she explained.

"I don't really think Steve is that mad at you. I think you just hurt his feelings by not trusting him in telling him you knew where his mother was," said Kono.

"Hey guys, Steve just called," interrupted Chin as he walked into Mia's office, "they got the son. He was the one that killed the boy and the mom."

"Wow who would be so cold hearted and kill his own mother," commented Kono as she shivered from just thinking about it.

"Yeah tell me about it," responded Chin, "and he said that we can call it a day."

Checking her watch, Mia noticed it was barely four in the afternoon, "It's barely four."

"Boss' orders," replied Chin with a smile.

"Alright, I'm out of here then," Kono said happy to get out of work early. Turning to Mia, she asked, "Are you coming?"

"No you guys go on ahead, I'm going to do some work here," she said waving them off.

"Are you sure?" Chin asked her.

"Yeah, I need to study the information you guys gave me on WoFat," she said.

**A/N: Please review...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**A/N: Duffster21 that was a very interesting review and I loved it! Thank you and just for you I moved a couple of chapters around to give you the fight you asked for, hope I don't disappoint you, keep in mind I've never written a story, much less a fighting scene. And adrienmaciel hope this is what you were asking for, I guess you somehow predicted this chapter lol. We'll see how it goes and thank you to all my other reviewers! :) Oh and last time I forgot to thank all of you who have added this story to your alerts/favorites, thank you! Even that means a lot ;) ...**

Steve and Danny got to the office just as Kono and Chin were making their way out.

"Enjoy the rest of your day," he told them as he waved them goodbye.

"Thanks boss," Kono replied.

"I'm just going to grab my stuff and get out of here," Danny said walking towards his office. "You need anything else?"

"No, I'm good," he said.

When Steve was about to go into his office, he noticed Mia was still in hers deep in concentration on something she was reading at her desk. She didn't even seem to have noticed their arrival or the fact that she wasn't alone. He decided to see what had her in deep concentration.

He knocked gently on the door as he opened it, hoping not to startle her.

"Hey what are you working on? I told Chin to tell everyone you could go home," he said as he leaned on the door frame.

Mia didn't even look up to see him as she replied, "I'm just studying your files on WoFat."

"You know you can do that tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah well I prefer to do it today. I don't really have much to do anyways," she said as she shrugged her shoulders still not looking at him.

"Mia?" he called to her, hoping to get her to look at him.

"Hmm?" she replied.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" he asked her as he walked into her office and sat on the corner of her desk, the one on the opposite side of where she was at.

Mia sighed, "I can't stand your look of disappointment."

Steve sighed as he stood up, went around her desk and turn hear chair to him. He hunched down and placed his hands on her waist for support.

"Mia, come on, look at me," he gently told her.

She slowly lifted her head to look at him.

"Danny said something today that made me realize something. I'm upset over the way my mother and you acted, not telling me anything, but what bothered me the most was the fact that it was _you._ I thought that after what we had and after clearing up all the confusion, that you would trust me enough to confide in me and tell me my mother never left the island," he told her all this in a soft voice.

"I understand where you're coming from Steve. I would definitely be mad if this was my case and I do trust you. I wanted to tell you but your mom begged me, she trusted in me. That is the only reason she called me, because she trusted me. I just didn't know what to do."

Steve nodded, "I understand but next time please tell me something as important as this."

"I will, I promise," she told him looking him in the eyes and showing him she was being honest.

The stayed like that for a moment, lost in each other's gaze, and before they knew it Steve moved closer and softly kissed her. Steve couldn't deny his feelings for Mia anymore. They were stronger than him. When he felt Mia respond to his kiss and place her hands on his shoulders for support, Steve grabbed her from the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

For a moment they forgot about the world and without breaking the kiss, Steve slowly stood up, bringing Mia with him and lifting her up so she could sit on her desk. Steve slowly caressed Mia's thighs, moving slowly up inch by inch until they were just below the hem of her blouse. Slowly he lifted her blouse just enough for him to put his hands under the blouse and caress her skin there, needing to feel the contact of her skin in some way. This act caused a moan to escape from Mia's throat.

Mia thought it was only fair that she got to feel his skin too, so instead of just raising his shirt slightly, she momentarily broke the kiss, having her breathing heavily as she raised his shirt, took it off him and threw it on the floor. She began caressing his chest, drawing small circles and placing small scattered kisses going all the way up to his neck, his jaw, and back to his neck.

Steve groaned and huskily whispered against her ear, "You have no idea what you do to me and how much I want you right now."

"Really?" she asked him in a small whisper completely lost in the moment, "then why don't you show me."

Steve let out a small curse as he sought out Mia's mouth and kissed her with more urgency. He felt Mia trying to unbuckle his belt, clearly taking in her urgency as well, and when he was about to lift up her blouse…

"Oh my god!" yelled Danny as he quickly turned around covering his eyes.

Danny's voice caused Mia and Steve to jump from their spot with Mia almost falling off the desk if Steve weren't there to help her out.

"Shit," muttered Steve as Mia accidentally hit him in his groin as she tried jumping off the desk after Danny startled them both.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" she asked worried about having possibly caused him permanent damage.

"God, can you two finish getting dressed so I can turn around?" Danny complained.

"What are you doing here Danny? I thought you had gone home," asked Steve feeling annoyed and frustrated for being interrupted as he picked up his shirt from the floor and put it on. Checking that Mia was alright he said, "You can turn around now."

"I did, I was actually already at my place when I remembered some important papers in my office," he explained as he turned to look at the other two in the office. "Then I get here and see a light on and when I come to check it out I find two crazy monkeys going at it on top of that desk. Couldn't you two wait to go somewhere more private? Gosh you two were acting like two horney teenagers," Danny rambled on.

Mia was mortified, she didn't think it was possible to get redder from embarrassment but she felt like her ears were literally burning up.

"What you couldn't knock?" Steve asked as he placed his hands on his hips. "And what papers were so important that you couldn't wait 'til tomorrow to get them?"

"The door was open Steven and how would I know I would be interrupting something. I needed to get some papers from my lawyer regarding Grace's custody," he said. With a smile he turned to look at Mia and decided to tease her a bit, "Hey Mia you alright there? You look like you could use some fresh air or should I say some ice cold water."

Mia groaned in embarrassment as she went to stand behind Steve and leaned her head on his back.

"Leave her alone Danny," he said as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Danny raised his hands in a surrender kind of mode, "I'm just saying man, but I'll go ahead and get out of your hairs and leave you two to your business," he said motioning to whatever it is they were doing. "Just make sure you keep it in this room, we don't want a mess around the whole office," he finished with a laugh.

"Go away Danny, now!" Mia muttered behind Steve.

"What was that Mia? You're going to have to come out of there so I can hear you," he continued in amusement at Mia's embarrassment.

"Out, now!" Steve ordered as he pointed to the door for Danny to leave.

"Alright, Alright, I'm leaving," Danny said as he left.

Steve closed the door after Danny and turned to face Mia who had sat down on her chair and buried her head between the desk and her arms.

"A little too late to close the door don't you think?" she asked in a muffled voice as she had taken notice of Steve closing the door.

Steve let out a laugh as he took in everything that had just occurred.

"What's so funny McGarret?" she asked him as she raised her head and shot me daggers with her eyes.

He lifted his hands in mock defense as he said, "Nothing. Well actually if you think about it, the whole situation was funny. Even if we did close the door, take a look at the office, we're surrounded by glass windows."

As Mia looked around and took in what Steve had said, he realized he was right and it was kind of funny. She laughed at whole situation and told Steve, "You're right but it was still really embarrassing."

Steve went around her desk and pulled her up as he embraced her. "You were the one that was all over me. Somehow my shirt even ended up on the floor. Someone was very eager to get in my pants," he teased.

Mia slapped him on the chest as she stepped back. "You're the one that started don't even deny it," she reminded him as she pointed a finger at him.

Steve grabbed her finger and pulled her back to him. "How about I finish what I started then," he whispered seductively against her ear.

"No way, not happening, especially after what just happened," she told him pulling away once more.

"Then how about we continue this somewhere else," he said as he walked closer to her, causing Mia to take a step back for every step he moved forward.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Steve," she told him trying to step away from him until she bumped against a book shelf that was next to her desk and Steve had her trapped there as he placed both arms against the wall blocking her exit.

"Why not?" he quietly asked her as he licked his lips and looked from her mouth to her eyes, back and forth.

"Because we can't, what happened earlier, we just got caught in the moment," she said breathing erratically.

"You can't deny you want this as much as I do Mia. We both want it," Steve told her and was interrupted from further trying to convince her by his cell phone.

Steve groaned at the second interruption and was about to ignore the call when Mia told him he should get it, that it might be important.

Without taking his eyes away from her he answered, "McGarret."

After listening to who was on the other side Steve said, "Cat?"

That was enough for Mia to push Steve away and get away from where he had her trapped. Steve let her go, noticing Mia's sudden discomfort.

While Steve was on the phone with Catherine, Mia took the time to quickly pick up the files on her desk and put them in her bag so she could study them at home. She knew what Steve and she were doing was a bad idea and that call was just proof of how wrong it was. He had Catherine.

When Steve turned around to face Mia after ending his call from Catherine, there was no sign of Mia. He heard her footsteps out in the hall and jogged to catch up to her as she was about to open the glass doors.

"Mia, wait, please," he said as he put his hand on the door to prevent her from opening it.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she told Steve without looking at him.

"Look at me please," he begged her.

Mia raised her head to look at him and he saw the unshed tears that were there.

"We can't keep doing this Steve," she said, "You have Catherine. She's your present and she doesn't deserve this, what we're doing. We are just letting ourselves get caught in something that happened so many years ago. We both have to accept that what we had is gone and move on."

"What about what we're feeling Mia, this strong attraction that we can both feel. Don't tell me you don't feel it too because I know you would be lying," he told her.

"Maybe that's just it Steve, a mutual physical attraction that we can't act up on because of your relationship with Catherine. Ask yourself this Steve, is it worth it? Is it worth it to sacrifice all the years you've built up with Catherine for a moment of desire with someone you haven't seen in years?"

"Is that what you think this is?" he asked her pointing to both of them.

"I don't know what to think Steve," she honestly told him. "One day we can't stand each other, the next day we're acting like old friends who never stopped seeing each other. All I know for sure is that you're in a relationship with Catherine and you need to think about her."

Steve stared into her eyes and he could see how much this was hurting her.

"What about you Mia? Is this what you want? For me to forget about everything and pretend like what we had never existed? I can see how much this is hurting you so please tell me what you want," he softly told her.

"I," she hesitated, sighed and then told him as she looked him in the eyes, "I want for you to be happy Steve, I want you to be with someone because you _want_ to be with that person and not because you feel like you have to be with her, because you owe it to her. And until you're sure of whom that person is then nothing can happen between us."

"Mia, I…" he began but Mia place her fingers on his lips to keep him from saying anything else.

"Steve, please don't," she told him with a shake of her head. "Just let me go."

Steve felt like he was losing Mia and he didn't want to loose her, he loved her not because like she said 'they were stuck in the past' but because he never stopped loving her after all these years. He wanted her to be his past, his present, and his future, but Mia wouldn't let him say it. He decided to give her some space; some time to think this through and then he would talk to her about how he felt. He opened the glass door and let her walk away he just hoped he was doing the right thing by giving her time.

* * *

The next day was very hectic. They had received a case where a bank robbery had gone wrong and now there were about thirty hostages inside.

"How is it that one, one, criminal is holding thirty hostages," Danny complained. "Why doesn't the SWAT team just go in there and take him down?"

"I don't know Danny. We we're told that he specifically asked for Five-O," Steve told his partner as they were gearing up outside the bank.

"So the he knows you guys? Do you think this is something personal?" Mia asked the team in general.

"Either that or he's some psycho getting a kick out this," Kono said.

"Alright listen up," Steve spoke up. "Danny and Kono, you guys will go through the front but do not go in until everyone is in position. Chin, you're going to be our eyes. There's a side door that leads to the camera room and once we're clear and I give the go you will come in. I still don't understand where the man in charge of that room was at when this robbery was going down, so he was either in this or he was taken down, be careful Chin, all of you," Steve said looking at all three of his team members and receiving a nod in acknowledgment.

"What about me?" Mia asked.

"You're coming with me," he said as he started walking receiving knowing looks from the rest of the team.

"Great," she muttered, "where are we going?"

"How good are you're climbing skills?"

"Gee I don't know. The last time I climbed a mountain I was fifteen and that was because _you_ wanted to go rock climbing," she mumbled.

"Here's the plan: we'll climb up the building, go in through the roof, and make our way down, making sure there's no one else up there. If the guy is asking for us, this could be a set up se we have to be really careful," he told her as they arrived at the back of the building and got ready to climb.

The building was only three stories high so the climb wasn't that bad. Steve reached the top first and then helped Mia. They got their weapons ready and on the count of three Mia opened the door for Steve and followed him in.

"Alright guys we're in," Steve said through his earpiece.

"Alright, third floor is empty, no movement," Chin informed.

They climbed the stairs down to the second floor and while Chin was giving them an update, Mia heard a noise above them on the floor they'd just left.

"Steve I'll be back. I heard something," she whispered.

"Mia, come back. Where are you going," Steve whispered back but it fell on deaf ears, Mia had already gone back upstairs.

"Steve we've got to keep moving. Our guy is getting antsy," Chin said.

Steve nodded to himself, trusting that Mia could do her job fine as he went down the final stairs that lead to the first floor.

"Alright guys, everyone in position, Danny, Kono, Chin, on the count of three. Ready," he said and received a yes from everyone. "One, two, three!"

"Five-O, don't move!" they all yelled at the same time as HPD followed Danny and Kono in from the front.

The criminal laughed. "Took you long enough. I was about to shoot this one here just to see if you would get here faster," he said waving his gun around.

Steve took in the fact that he was unstable, making him more dangerous. "Put the gun down on the floor slowly and kick it away from you," Steve ordered. "I'm not going to repeat my self."

"You're missing one. Where's the pretty brunette with the cat-like eyes, nice tanned skinned, long brown hair. The one that doesn't like you much," he said waving his gun at Steve.

The way that this guy described Mia made Steve sick. Mia's eyes were hazel but would change color depending on her mood sometimes giving them a cat-eye look. He had obviously been watching Mia for a while. "Listen, put the gun down!"

"No you listen! I want the other cop here or this one dies!" he said as he grabbed a hostage from the hair and put his gun on her head breaking the scene into chaos as everyone began screaming in panic.

"Alright, alright, calm down," he said and into his mike he whispered, "Mia, where are you?"

* * *

Mia walked up the stairs following the noise. She'd clearly heard it on the stairs and as she reached the third floor she heard the door leading to the roof close. She followed up the stairs and slowly opened the door to the roof checking her surroundings. Mia didn't see anyone but she'd clearly heard someone come up here. As she faced down towards where all the cops and news stations were at Mia felt a cold chill run down her spine. Someone was behind her. She was about to turn around when he spoke.

"Not so fast," he said pressing the gun into her head. "Turn around, slowly. One wrong move and I'll blow your head off."

Mia turned around slowly to face the man pressing a gun against her. He stepped back a few inches as he told her to put the gun down on the floor and kick it in his direction. Mia did as she was told but the man made one mistake. As he went to pick the gun from the floor he took his eyes off Mia for just a second but it was enough for Mia to make her move. She kicked the gun in his hand, landing a few feet way from them and pushed him back with all her force to keep him away from her gun. She then went on to punch him on the jaw. When Mia was about to land another one on his face, but the man recovered and slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand making her lose her balance and landing close to her gun. She was about to grab the gun when he stepped on her hand with one heavy boot covered foot and kicked the gun away with the other one. Grabbing her from the hair he picked her up but Mia was trained for this. Using all her energy and force she twisted around into him, causing his arm to twist in and turned him around with his arm behind him, eliciting a moan of pain from him. She'd probably broken his arm but she didn't care.

"You bitch!" he yelled in pain as he fell on his knees but Mia pushed him completely onto the floor.

"Shut the hell up and tell me who you are and what you're doing here," she hissed against his ear as she cuffed his hands behind him and wiped the blood from her lip wincing from the pain.

"I ain't telling you nothing," he spat.

Mia pressed against harder against his injured arm causing another yell of profanities. When she was about to ask him again she heard in her ear Steve asking where she was. "The roof, I've got one-" but she was cut off as someone attacked her from behind and knocked her out cold.

* * *

"Mia?!" Steve asked loudly pressing a finger against his ear causing everyone to look at him, specially his team, having heard Mia cut off abruptly. "Mia, answer me!" he yelled one more time. "You son of a bitch, who else is here with you?!" Steve demanded as he moved closer.

"Don't move!" the criminal yelled.

"I'm done playing games with you," he said through clenched teeth. He looked Danny in the eyes, a silent message for him to distract the man. Danny nodded at him.

"Hey man let her go. Look Mia is coming through the front door any second now," Danny said causing the man to turn around and face him.

"Where is she?!" he yelled as he pointed his gun to the ceiling and firing two shots making the place erupt into more chaos as the team took this as their only chance and fired at him.

All the hostages got down on the floor and covered their heads, screaming in panic. The team ran to him and Steve kicked the gun away from him. "How many are there?" he asked as he grabbed the man from the collar. "What do you want from Mia?"

The man just laughed and said, "She's mine," and closed his eyes.

Kono checked his pulse and when Steve looked at her, she shook her head in a negative sign. "He's dead boss," she said.

Steve stood up. "Alright let HPD take care of him, the rest of you follow me. We've got to find Mia."

* * *

The team reached the roof and split to search the place.

Danny spotted her on the floor lying unconscious. "Steve!" he yelled for his partner. "Over here." Danny checked Mia's pulse and breathed in relief after finding one. "Hey Mia can you hear me?" he asked shaking her slightly.

"Mia, Mia, answer me," Steve said in an urgent tone when he'd reached the spot where Danny had found Mia.

Mia opened her eyes and moaned in pain as she covered her eyes with one arm trying to block out the light that was making her eyes hurt. She tried to sit up but everything moved around her.

"Slowly," Steve said as he and Danny helped her sit up and lean against a wall.

Mia grabbed her head and felt something sticky on her hair. Looking at her fingers she saw it was blood.  
"How are you feeling? What happened?" Steve asked her concern written all over his face.

"I'm fine," she said waving him off. "Stupid son of a bitch, I had him but there was someone else that came out of no where."

Danny looked at Steve. "Mia, did you recognize any of them?" Danny asked her.

"No, I only saw one of them. I'm telling you the other one came out of nowhere and took me by surprise. I didn't even see him," she said looking in between Danny and Steve. "Why? Was I supposed to?"

"Let's go get you checked out. You probably have a concussion," said Steve as he grabbed placed one arm around her waist and another under her legs and carried her, the team following behind after having cleared the whole place.

"I'm fine Steve. Put me down, I can walk," she complained.

"You were knocked out cold Mia and your head is bleeding, not to mention your lip. Now stop complaining," he ordered.

When they arrived outside, Steve placed Mia on a stretcher to be checked. The paramedic said that Mia would need some tests to make sure the concussion wasn't very serious. Steve ordered Chin to go with her and stay with her at all times. They still had two men on the loose and apparently they were after Mia.

When the ambulance pulled away, Danny asked, "Who do you think is doing this?"  
"I don't know, but that son of a bitch either knew Mia or he was a crazy stalker," Steve said as he walked towards the Camaro. "I want everything on the dead man and try to find anything you can on the other two."

"Already on it boss," Kono said as she went back to examine the crime scene.

* * *

Steve and Danny drove back to headquarters to pull up any video footage they could.

"You okay man?" Danny asked Steve as they worked on the computer table.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered deep in concentration.

Danny studied his friend and knew Steve wasn't okay. Someone tried killing Mia today and Danny knew how Steve got when someone he cared about was attacked.

* * *

Mia bitched and complained the whole way to the hospital claiming that she was fine and didn't understand why they were making such a big deal, even if the pounding on her head was killing her.

"Mia let the doctors do their job," Chin said after they had arrived and she was placed in a room. The doctors had performed some tests to make sure her concussion was nothing to worry about.

While they waited for the results, Mia remembered something Danny asked her. "Hey Chin, why did Danny ask if I recognize the guy I took down?"

Chin hesitated not sure if he should tell her but he knew she had every right to know, especially because her safety was at risk. "The man holding the hostages in the bank seemed to know you. He only asked for Five-O to bring you in. When he didn't see you he demanded that you be present and described you in great detail. We're not sure if he actually knows you or if he was just a stalker, but now we know he wasn't acting alone and that the bank robbery was just a front to lure you in."

"I don't understand," she stated confused. "I haven't been in Hawaii for long, why would someone come after me?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Do you know of anyone who might want to hurt you?"

"Mia has always had a lot of enemies, look at her she's gorgeous, and who wouldn't hate her? Even in high school all the girls envied her natural beauty and it got worse after she started dating the star quarterback," they heard someone state from the door.

Turning to see who the voice belonged to they saw Savanna standing there.

"Oh god, who called her?" Mia asked rolling her eyes, the act causing her pain.

"No one called me. I had to call Steve to demand he tell me where you were after seeing the news on TV," she stated dryly but Mia could see the concern in her eyes. Turning to Chin she said, "Hi I'm Savanna Hendricks, or as some call me, Savi."

"I'm Chin, nice to meet you," Chin said with a smile as he shook Savi's hand.

"Alright I got the results back," the doctor said walking in. "There's nothing to worry about, just a small concussion that should go away in the next twenty four hours. We still need to have your sleep monitored until then. Wake you up every two to three hours just to make sure, but all that can be done from your home. You'll need to have someone with you."

"No problem doctor. I'll take care of her," Savi said.

"Alright, I'll give you something for the pain, not too strong so you can wake up when it's time to check on you. If you keep feeling pain take Tylenol but if the pain gets too strong or you start experiencing nausea and vomiting make sure you come straight to the hospital," the doctor said. "I'll get someone to clean you up and give you something for the pain. Then you're free to go. Remember to rest the next twenty four hours."

Chin excused himself as he stepped outside the room to call Steve and inform him on what the results were.

As soon as Chin stepped out Savi went and hugged her friend hard, full of worry of what could have happened to her. "God I was so scared when I saw on the news what happened and how they took you in an ambulance," Savi said with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Hey, hey," Mia said softly as she hugged her friend back. "I'm fine. I promise. It's not as bad as it looks just a few bruises and a minor concussion. You heard the doctor."

Savi pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Well I had to see for myself. Who would do this to you?"

"Savi, it comes with the job. It happens all the time in this field of work," Mia explained to Savi.

After that a nurse came in to clean Mia's cuts and then she was free to go. Chin walked in after the nurse had left. "Alright, you ready to go?" he asked her.

"Yeah, let's go," Mia said getting off the bed.

"Would you mind giving us a ride to Mia's apartment? I came with her in the ambulance," Chin said to Savi.

"Of course, no problem. I'll go on ahead and bring it to the front," Savi said and then left.

"You don't have to come with us Chin. We can drop you off at headquarters on our way and you can help them," Mia told Chin as they walked out of the room.

"Sorry, boss' orders, I have to keep an eye on you. We don't know if the other two will come after you," Chin said. "Plus I'll get to hang with two beautiful ladies."

Mia laughed. "Alright."

* * *

Back in the office, Danny gathered that the dead man was Ben Smith. He had a criminal record and various restraining orders against young women who had claimed to be harassed and followed by this man.

"So does he ring any bells?" Danny asked Steve.

Steve shook his head. "None, I have no idea who he is or how he might know Mia."

"Hey, this is interesting; the guy went to the same high school as you and Mia. Dropped out during his senior year after being sentenced to two years in prison for possession of drugs," Danny explained. "Think Mia might recognize him?"

"Text the picture to Chin and tell him to ask her if she recognizes him."

"Alright," Danny said.

"Hey boss, I found the weapon one of our guys was using. It wasn't the one Mia was struck with but the one her first attacker was using and check this, finger prints," Kono said as she plugged in the USB Charlie had given her. "Charlie ran them through the system and came up with Sean Smith, our dead man's brother."

"Good job Kono," Steve commented. "Now find him and bring him in."

"Will do boss," Kono said as she started searching for possible places he could be.

"Hey Steve, I've got Chin and Mia on the phone," Danny said as he placed the call on speaker.

"Hey guys, Mia how are you feeling?" he asked even after being assured by Chin earlier that she was fine.

"I'm good," she said distracted. "Steve this guy, it's Ben, Ben Smith. We had Calculus together senior year. He was a weird dude back then and always gave Savi and me a weird vibe."

"He had the hots for you honey," Savi said. "Hi Steve, it's Savi. This dude was a total creep. He would follow Mia around campus all the time. One time he finally had the guts to approach her and ask her out but Mia turned him down."

"What ever Savi, after a few months he disappeared and no one heard from him again," Mia said.

"That's because he was doing time for drug possession," Steve said. "Mia by any chance did you ever come across his brother, a Sean Smith?"

"No, never even heard of him. This Ben always kept to himself. I don't think anyone knew much about him," Mia said. "Why?"

"He's one of the guys that attacked you on the rooftop," Steve said. "We're working on locating him in the meantime, Chin make sure you don't take your eyes off Mia."

"Okay," Chin said.

"Hey I can take care of my self," they heard Mia say.

"Now's not the time to get into it Mia. Your safety is at risk here until we find this Sean and whoever else was with him."

"If it helps, I broke his arm," Mia said as she started feeling the effect of the painkiller.

Steve heard her voice took on a tired tone. "Alright, get some rest now. We'll contact you guys if anything comes up." Steve ended the call.

"She broke his arm?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Hey at least she fought back and didn't go down for nothing," Kono said with a proud smile causing Steve to let out a small laugh.

"Alright, let's get this done," Steve said.

* * *

The case took them until the early hours of the following morning but they caught the other two. It turned out that Ben Smith wanted Mia to pay for turning him down back in high school and making him look like an idiot in front of everyone. He's been stalking her for a long time back in the day and when he got out of prison he'd found out that Mia had left the island and no one knew where she'd gone. Then he found out that she had come back to island and began a plan to bring her to him. His brother, Sean Smith had helped his younger brother with everything because he was tired of seeing him so depressed and moping around for the bitch who caused a _'great humiliation' _to his little brother. The third guy was just a friend that served as backup and who had helped Sean get away when Mia had him down. Now they were both locked up and everyone could finally go home and rest.

Steve debated whether to go check on Mia or go home. He'd spoken to Chin a few minutes ago and let him know they'd closed the case and Chin had said Mia was fine. Steve decided to go straight home and give Mia the space he'd said he'd give her. He was just glad she was doing fine and nothing major happened to her.

**A/N: Please review...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**A/N: Hey I'm finally back! I apologize for being gone for so long I've just been really busy dealing with some personal issues and then the holidays getting in the way, which by the way I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday (If you celebrate it of course). I kind of took someone's review into consideration. I know you wanted a Steve and Catherine fight, but went for a Mia and Catherine confrontation instead. Maybe in the future with some twists and turns in the story we'll get that Catherine and Steve fight. Hope I don't disappoint anyone. **

The following day Mia was feeling much better, just a small but tolerable headache but she took some Tylenol just in case. She was about to get out of bed when Savi came into her room with a tray full of food.

"I brought you something to eat," she said placing the tray on the night stand. "You're too skinny and we need to get some real food in you."

"You didn't have to do all this Savi. I was just about to get up and go find something to eat," Mia said.

"Nonsense, what were you going to get? An apple, because you don't have much around here. Gosh how do you feed yourself?" Savi asked Mia handing her a plate of banana pancakes, Mia's favorite, freshly made.

Mia took a bite and moaned in pleasure at how good they tasted. "I don't have time to cook. God Savi these are so good, thank you, but how did you get all the ingredients if I don't have any thing to make all this?" Mia asked her friend taking in the oatmeal and yogurt on the tray, along with the orange juice.

"Well the yogurt and orange juice were in your fridge and Jake dropped off the list I sent him earlier this morning," Savi said, sitting on the edge of the bed watching Mia as she ate.

"You're not going to eat?"

"I ate earlier while sleeping beauty slept peacefully in here," Savi said with a smile. "How are you feeling? That's a nasty bruise you have on your cheek."

"I'm feeling much better, honestly. See, my appetite is much better than last night," she said as she took another bite of her pancakes. "By the way, where's Chin?"

"Oh he left very early after Steve called him. Apparently they caught the other two and Ben was after you only to get back at you for what you did to him back in the day," Savi explained.

"Wow, who would have thought," Mia said

"Tell me about it," Savi said with a shake of her head.

Mia was starting on her oatmeal when she heard the doorbell.

"I'll get it, you finish eating," Savi said as she stood up and went to answer the door.

While Mia was eating the small bowl of oatmeal she tried listening to the voices coming from the living room but it was useless. She was about to get up to go find out who was there when Savi came in with Doris McGarret right behind her.

"Mimi, how are you feeling? I was so worried when Steve told me what happened," Doris said as she placed a motherly kiss on her forehead and sat down next to her.

"It looks much worse than it actually is Doris. Don't worry, I'm fine," Mia answered with a smile. "I'm really glad you're here."

"I'm just glad it wasn't anything major," Doris said.

"Me too," Mia said. "So how are you adapting to your _'new' _life?"

"Great, just getting out there, trying to get used to it again."

"I'm happy to hear that," Mia said.

"Hey listen, I'm going to go ahead and go home to check on Kelly. I'll be back later to bring you something to eat," Savi said. "It was great seeing you again Mrs. McGarret."

"Take care Savi," Doris said.

"See you later Savi. Thanks for everything," Mia said.

"How about you?" Doris asked turning back to Mia and taking Mia's hand into her own. "How are you and my son getting along?"

Mia sighed as she ran her free hand through her hair. "Steve is just being Steve," Mia said with a shrug.

"What does that mean?"

"Just that he's being a bit difficult to understand. I don't know," Mia said not being able to put into words what was happening between her and Steve. "I haven't been to Hawaii in years and seeing him again brought back so many emotions and feelings that I thought had long been gone."

"You still love him, am I right?" Doris asked searching Mia's face.

"He has Catherine," Mia said avoiding Doris' searching gaze.

"Mia," Doris said trying to get Mia to look her in the eyes. "Mia, sweetheart, come on look at me."

"Look it doesn't matter what I feel for Steve. He already has someone who cares for him and makes him happy," Mia said looking at Doris.

"Are you sure about that? I've seen the way he looks at you and trust met, I may not have been around for a great part of Steve's life, but the way he looks at you is the same way he used to look at you the first time he brought you home to meet his parents, with so much love in his eyes. I knew back then that what you two had was something very special and I seriously thought you two would end up married and with tons of kids by now," Doris said breaking into a laugh causing Mia to laugh too.

"Yeah well so much happened in between all these years," Mia said.

"Want to talk about it?" Doris asked Mia.

"Not really. I just want to forget about it and move on."

"I understand but if you ever want to talk you can always come to me," Doris said and received a hug in return from Mia.

* * *

Today was Mia's day off and she planned to make the most of it. She wanted a day of relaxation with no one to bother her, no cases to interrupt her day, and no Steve. It had been two weeks since she walked out of the office leaving Steve behind. She didn't regret it because she knew she was doing the right thing even if it pained her but Steve needed to know what he wanted and be completely sure about it. She didn't want him to be with her just because he felt like he owed her something for leaving her when they were younger. Mia loved him, of that she had no doubt, but she wasn't so sure about Steve's feelings towards her. So today she was going to make it a plan to just enjoy it and relax.

As she was walking out of a small shop of flowers she'd bought to decorate her apartment, Mia bumped into someone. Looking up she realized it was none other than Catherin Rollins. "I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was walking," she apologized.

"No problem, it happens to everyone," Catherine said with a small smile.

For a minute Mia and Catherine just stared at each other not know what to say to each other until Mia snapped out of it and excused herself as she began walking away.

"Hey, Mia?" Catherine called after her.

Mia hesitated as she stopped and turned to face Catherine. "Yeah?" she replied.

"Do you mind if we sit down for some coffee and chat?" she said motioning towards the coffee shop across the street. "I just think that we got off to a bad start and maybe we should talk about it."

Mia didn't want to talk to Catherine or anyone involved with Steve. This was supposed to be her day, for her self and she had to run into Catherine of all people but she still found her self nodding yes at Catherine's invitation and following her across the street into the coffee shop.

They sat down in a small table for two close to a window. Mia placed her flowers on the table as she ordered a French Vanilla Cappuccino and Catherine ordered a Latte. "So what do you want to talk about?" Mia asked not knowing how else to start a conversation with her.

"I just want to get to know you a little better. I already know the rest of the team and well I don't know anything about you other than you came from New York and the history between you and Steve," Catherine said as she thanked the waitress for their drinks.

"Well that's pretty much it. I don't know how much Steve told you but there's not much to my story other than I was born and raised here in Hawaii. As you already know, Steve and I dated back in high school and then we both went our separate ways. I've worked for the FBI in New York since I can last remember," Mia said and then drank from her cappuccino. "What about you?"

"Well I'm in the Navy, Naval Intelligence. That's where I met Steve. We've been going out for quite a while now," Catherine said looking straight into Mia's eyes.

Mia chuckled to herself as she shook her head in realization. This is what it's really about, she thought, Steve. She wasn't here to be friendly; she wanted to talk about Steve. "You know what Catherine, why don't we cut the crap and just say what you're really here for, what you want to talk about. It's about Steve, right?"

Catherine moved her drink to her left as she crossed her hands on top of the table. "You're right, I want to talk about Steve and you," Catherine said with a nod.

"I just want to get a few things clear with you Catherine. If there's one thing I've always admired about someone is their directness and I would appreciate it if next time you want something you save us all this _'playing nice'_ act and get straight to the point," Mia said mimicking Catherine's actions as she too crossed her hands on the table. "Second, I don't talk about my personal life with people I don't know so if there's something you want to know about Steve and me and what we had I suggest you ask him."

"I want to know what you're trying to accomplish by coming back and playing the martyr with your sorry story about what happened _years_ ago. You can't just show up and expect Steve to fall at your feet and continue something that ended a long time ago. Steve is with _me_ now and you have to respect that," Catherine said very determined.

"I am not trying to accomplish anything but solve the case I was brought here to work on and I'm sorry your self –esteem is so low that you don't feel very certain of you're relationship with Steve if you're coming here to tell me to stay away from him, defending something everyone is very aware of. The last thing I came to Hawaii for was to be with Steve," Mia said with enough force as she stood up and took out some bills from her pocket to pay for her coffee. Picking up her flowers she said, "If Steve and you are having problems, don't come blaming me. Maybe that should clue you in on something. Goodbye Catherine."

Mia walked out of the coffee shop furious. What was supposed to be a nice relaxing day took a very wrong turn. Who did this woman think she was?

* * *

The weekend was here and Steve hoped it was a quiet one where they had no cases to worry about but he new the chances of that happening were slim to none. It had been a long busy week at work where Mia only talked to him when necessary. He tried getting her alone to talk but she was having none of that. Steve was beginning to regret letting her go that day at the office two weeks ago. Steve couldn't believe Mia had been in Hawaii for almost two months already. He was about to sit down with a beer in hand to watch a rerun of a football game when there was a knock on his door.

"Hey sailor," Catherine said as soon as he opened the door.

"Cat," he said surprised to see her there, "come in."

"You haven't been returning any of my calls. I don't know why I have a feeling you've been avoiding me," she said as she looked at him.

"It's just been really busy at the office lately," he said as a form of explanation for not returning her calls.

In reality, Steve was avoiding Catherine, especially after what almost happened with Mia.

"You want something to drink?" he asked her.

"Sure, I'll have whatever you're having," she said as she sat down on the sofa.

A minute later Steve was back with Cat's beer. He joined her on the couch and they both stayed quiet as they pretended to watch the game on TV. They could both feel something was different in the atmosphere.

"So have you had any lead on where Joe could possibly be?" Cat asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"No, not yet," he replied taking a swig from his beer.

"What does Mia have to say about it?"

"We agreed to not discuss the issue anymore until I find Joe."

Cat nodded and silence filled the air once again.

"I'm getting deployed," Cat suddenly told him.

That got Steve's attention as he quickly turned to look at her.

"What, when?" he asked.

"I got the notice this morning and I leave tomorrow," she said as she looked at him.

"For how long?" he asked knowing how hard it was on someone to get deployed.

"I don't know. That's part of the reason why I'm here," she said as she leaned closer to Steve.

"What's the other part?" he asked as he took in how close Cat was.

"You," she whispered as she moved in to kiss him. When she felt Steve respond to the kiss, Cat straddled him and deepened the kiss.

Steve placed his hands on Cat's hips as he responded to her kiss. It was a normal reaction after all these years but for the first time he wasn't into it. Cat wasn't the one he wanted to have been kissing him. Cat wasn't the one he wanted to have straddling him and Cat wasn't the one he wanted to try to take off his shirt, as she was right now. He realized who he really wanted to be doing all those things to him was Mia. Steve wanted Mia, not Catherine or anyone else, only Mia.

"Hey are you alright," Cat whispered in husky voice, "you zoned out."

"Cat, listen, I'm sorry," he said as he gently pushed her off of him and stood up turning the TV off in the process, "I just can't right now."

"It's Mia, isn't it?" she asked in a small whisper.

"Cat,"

She shook her head to keep him from going on and told him, "I get it, you still love her. I realized that ever since she came back something changed between us."

"I'm sorry Cat," he apologized not bothering to deny what she had just said.

"I just want you to be honest with me Steve, please."

Steve took a deep breath and said, "I just, when I saw her again for the first time in years something moved inside me. All these years I thought I'd never see her again, but then I realized that deep inside I wanted to see her again. I wanted to be with her because what we had was something different. I know people always say _'you were kids, how can you know something like that?'_ but I _do_ know. I know I never stopped loving her. I just buried my feelings deep inside hoping one day they would disappear and I would be able to start over with someone else, but after seeing her again made me realize that I was just lying to my self."

When Steve saw the tear that escaped from Cat's eye he groaned to himself and hugged her.

"I'm really sorry Cat. I never meant to hurt you. I just want to be honest with you and stop making you waste your time."

Cat nodded as she stepped away, "I know. I just hope she can appreciate you because you're a great guy Steve. Behind that tough 'I'm a Navy Seal' persona, there's an amazing guy that any woman would be lucky to have. Don't worry about me, just be happy and maybe one day we can try to reestablish the friendship we had before all this."

Steve nodded, "Thank you Cat, I hope you find someone who can value what and who you are and I will definitely take you up on that offer. Nothing will make me happier than to be able to have that friendship again. Call me when you're back on the island."

"I will and if you need anything, and I mean anything, while I'm away don't hesitate to call me," she told him to which Steve nodded. "Goodbye Steve," she said as she hugged him and gave him one last small kiss on the lips.

Then she was gone.

* * *

Mia was doing some cleaning around her apartment when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id and saw that it was Peter.

"Hey Peter P..."

"Don't you dare finish that," he told her.

Mia laughed out loud as she told him, "Awe Peter I thought you were used to it by now," she said with a pout.

"I'll never get used to it because I don't like it," he reminded her.

"Alright, alright, so what's up?" she asked.

"Not much just called to give you a heads up, we're coming to Hawaii, Lisa and me," Peter said.

"No way, really?" Mia asked getting excited to see them. She had really been missing them.

"Yeah, I'm glad you seem to like the idea," he said with a smile on his face.

"Like it? I love it. I really miss you guys and it'll be great to have some familiar faces besides Savanna and her husband Jake."

"What about Steve?" he casually asked.

"Steve? Wait, how do you know about Steve?" she asked confused.

"I was talking to Denning the other day and he happened to mention a Steve McGarret. I did some research and look at what I found out, turns out to be the same Steve McGarret you dated," he told her as if he weren't bothered by the fact that she didn't mention anything.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't mention anything. I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it," she said.

"Hey, you don't owe me any explanations. I just want you to be careful, alright?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I was thinking about going to clean out the old house and finally put it up for sale," she told him.

"Didn't your father leave you that house?"

"Yeah at least that bastard did something right," she said.

"Hey, you don't know what his reasons were for leaving you guys. Don't judge until you know," he gently reprimanded.

"Doesn't matter what his reasons were. All that matters is that he left me when I was still a baby and I don't care about knowing his reasons," she said. "But anyways, if you want I'll postpone my plans and pick you guys up from the airport."

"No, no, you go on ahead with your plans and we'll just catch a cab."

"How about I pick you up, drop you off here, since you're staying with me right? And then go do what I had planned on doing," she offered.

"Alright, thanks for letting us stay with you," he said. "We should be landing around ten in the morning."

"Alright I'll see you tomorrow then," she finished. "Have a safe flight."

"Okay, see you tomorrow Mia," he said and ended the call.

Mia was happy the only people she had close to a family were coming to visit her. With that last thought in her head, she went to her room to get ready for bed since tomorrow would be a long day.

* * *

Mia woke up around eight thirty in the morning and quickly showered. She put on a robe and was drying her hair with a towel when she heard the doorbell. She opened the door to see a delivery guy from a flower shop with a big and beautiful flower arrangement. She signed the received paper and was about to go look for her purse for a tip when the guy said it was already taken care of. Mia placed the flower arrangement which consisted of pink star gazing lilies, her favorite, and found the card.

"Who could they be from?" she whispered to herself as she opened the small note.

_You once told me that nothing is impossible because even the word impossible had the words I'm-possible written in them. Today I want to tell you that what we have is possible. We may have gone our separate ways for a while there but I know that our love for each other never died and if you give me the chance to prove to you that what we had and have is the real deal and get to know the new us, I promise to make you the happiest woman on this Earth and never let you regret it._

_~SM~_

Mia was at a loss of words as her eyes watered over what she had just read. Steve was asking her for another chance. He really wanted to try to work things out, but what about Catherine? She hadn't mentioned to Steve about hers' and Cat's _'little encounter' _and she didn't plan on it either. The only one that knew about it was Savi because Mia felt like she had to tell someone about it or she would explode from how furious she'd been, so that day after their little encounter she'd gone straight to Savi to vent. Mia didn't know what to do. She knew she loved Steve but she was afraid that he would leave again and break her heart once again. She wiped her eyes and looked at the clock. 9:10 am.

"Shit, I'm running late," she said as she dashed to her room to get dressed. She decided to not think about the note for now until she was more clear-headed so she put it in the first drawer of her night stand.

Mia dressed up in short denim shorts, a white v-neck t-shirt and her pink Converse. Looking in the mirror she put her still wet hair in a messy bun, added some mascara and lip balm and was ready to go. She grabbed her purse and sunglasses on the way out the door and soon she was on her way to the airport.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Steve and Catherine's '_break-up_' and a month since what happened between Mia and Steve in her office. He had made up his mind and decided to go after what he wanted and what he wanted was Mia Summers. Steve was growing impatient as the day wore on and he still hadn't received a call or a text from Mia. He knew she had received the flowers, making sure they were her favorite, and he hoped he would get some sort of response from her. Maybe she just needed some more time to think things through but the more Steve thought about it the more impatient he grew. He had already cleaned his house from top to bottom to give him something to distract himself. When he looked at the clock for the hundredth time that day, he saw that it was 4:00 pm. Steve gave up trying to wait for a response from Mia. He figured he had already given her enough time the whole week and he didn't want to waste any more time without her, so he grabbed his truck keys, locked up the house, and went in search of Mia.

Steve knocked on Mia's door twenty minutes later and was surprised by who had opened the door, definitely not Mia. The man standing before him was a good looking man and if it weren't for the few gray hairs he saw he would have thought he might have some competition to worry about. But then if he thought about it, since when was age or a few gray hairs an impediment to date someone much younger. The man looked to be maybe around twenty years older than Mia, give-or-take a few years. He was well kept for an old man.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

After recovering from his momentary surprise, Steve cleared his throat, "Hi, I'm looking for Mia Summers."

"And you are?" the man asked.

"Steve McGarret," he said as form of introduction while extending his hand to the man who hadn't yet let him in.

"Ah the infamous _Steve McGarret_," the man said as Steve noticed the man looking Steve up and down while he ignored the hand Steve had extended to him.

"I beg your pardon?" Steve asked as he took back his hand after it being ignored.

"Come on in McGarret," the man finally said.

As Steve walked in the man finally introduced him self, "I'm Peter Donovan, by the way."

At Steve's confused look, Peter clarified, "Mia's boss and friend."

The name still didn't sound familiar to Steve but either way he just nodded. "Is Mia around?" he asked as he looked for some sign of Mia around the apartment.

"No she's not," he answered in a clipped tone.

Okay this man definitely doesn't like me, Steve thought. "Do you know where I can find her?"

"Now why would I tell you where she is?" he asked as he crossed his arms and stared Steve down.

"Listen sir, I don't know who you are, I've never even heard about you. With all due respect, I don't owe you any explanations, now are you going to tell me where Mia is or should I just leave and try finding her on my own?" Steve asked as he started losing his patience with the man standing in front of him acting all high and mighty. Who did he think he was?

"She's at her old house," he finally said after sizing him over once more.

"Thank you sir," he said and got out of there as soon as possible before he really lost his patience with the man he didn't even know, but apparently this Peter guy knew him.

* * *

Mia had been cleaning the house for the majority of the day. Downstairs wasn't really that bad after having Doris stay here for a while. She had definitely helped out a lot. The part that needed the most cleaning was the upstairs. She cleaned the room that had belonged to her mother, the room where Doris had slept in, and the bathroom. All that was left was her room. She went in and saw that it was just the way she had left it, only full of dust. She dusted the whole room from top to bottom and removed the blankets and sheets on the bed and replaced them with clean ones she had bought on the stop she made to buy cleaning supplies. She was going to wash all the blankets and sheets she had removed from all the beds, pack them up in a box and donate them. She just wanted the house to look presentable when she finally put it on the market. Mia had just opened her walk-in closet door to take out some boxes and see what she could throw away when someone called her from downstairs.

Mia walked to the landing of the stairs and looked downstairs to find Steve standing at the entrance with a bag of what looked to be take-out on his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked surprised to see him there.

"I brought some lunch or dinner," he said as he checked his watch and saw that it was after five.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked as she placed one hand on the rail and one on her hip.

"Yeah, about that, who's Peter Donovan?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"My boss and friend, why?" she asked him getting curious.

"I don't think he likes me much," Steve said as he got tired of looking up at hair and decided to go to the kitchen to put the food down.

Mia had no other choice but to go downstairs and follow him into the kitchen. The house was an open floor concept. The kitchen opened up towards the family room and from upstairs you were able to look into both the kitchen and family room from one side and the living room and entrance from the other side.

"Steve what are you doing here and how did you meet Peter?" she asked him as she crossed her arms in front of her and waited for a reply from Steve.

"I already told you, I brought dinner," he said motioning to the food he was taking out of the bag.

"What about if I already ate?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you?" he countered back.

"No," she said giving in and walking towards the kitchen island to see what he had brought.

"Chinese. I know how much you like it," he said as he handed her a plate so she could serve her self whatever she wanted.

"I met Peter at your apartment today when I went looking for you," he told her as he was serving himself a plate. "Good looking man, but a bit too old for you, don't you think?" he asked her as nonchalantly as he could but deep inside he wanted to know if he was more than her _boss_.

Mia grabbed a stool and handed him one. As she sat down and picked up her fork she playfully asked, "Are you jealous commander?"

"Do I have a reason to be jealous?" he asked back as he sat on the stool on the other side of the island right in front of her.

"No you don't, first off because you are not my boyfriend and second because he's just my boss and a really good friend, almost like a father," she told him giving him a pointed look. "Plus, his wife should have been there too. They came to Hawaii to visit me."

Steve studied Mia closely as he ate.

"What?" she asked, "You didn't really think there was something between him and me did you?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal way as he told her, "No of course not."

"Liar," she called him out on his lie as she began to laugh. "Gosh Steve he could be my father."

"I don't know Mia, a lot of women your age like to date much older men," he informed her.

"Yeah well not me," she said. "I like them much closer to my age, preferably a year or two older."

Steve caught on to what Mia was saying, "Oh really, anyone in particular?"

Mia pretended to think about it and then shook her head as she said, "Nope, not really."

"I guess I'm going to have to work on changing your mind on that, then," he said decisively.

"Oh really, and how do you plan on accomplishing that?" she asked good-naturedly.

"I thought the flowers were a good starting point," he said.

"I loved the flowers, thank you," she genuinely told him.

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile when what he really wanted to say was that _he loved her._"So do you have much left to do?"

Mia looked around the house as she told him, "Mainly getting rid of stuff. I already dusted the house from top to bottom. There's just a bunch of junk I need to throw out."

"Want some help?" he offered.

"Sure, I was just starting to clean out my closet when you got here. Thanks for dinner," she said as she gave him a smile.

"How about you go on upstairs while I clean up here," he said as he began throwing away the empty cartons and putting the leftovers in the fridge.

"Alright, see you in a bit," she said as she walked back upstairs.

**A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that we still haven't seen the end of Catherine. She _will_ be back in the future, question is whether to cause trouble or for something else? Well you'll have to keep reading to find out. Don't forget to review and thank you to those who keep reviewing and adding this story to their alerts :)  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I do not own anything related to the show and I did borrow some of the lines on the show but I repeat, I do not own them! Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 18**

Steve found Mia ten minutes later sitting Indian-style on the floor in the middle of her old room going through a box of what appeared to be photos.

"What you got there?" he asked her as he sat next to her on the floor.

"Some pictures I found from when I was younger. The majority is from high school," she said as she handed some she had already seen to him.

"I don't think I've ever seen one of you as a baby," he commented as he went through the pile she had given him.

"That's because I don't really have any. The few that I have were taken by my aunt. They should be around here somewhere," she said waving around the room with one hand while not taking her eyes off the pictures.

"Have you seen her or spoken to her since she left?" he asked her as he turned to look at her.

"No," she merely replied.

"Do you want to?"

"I don't really care," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the help she gave us but sometimes I wished she would've taken me with her."

"If that would've happened then we wouldn't be sitting here today, we would've never met," he told her as he studied her from the side, the pictures forgotten.

"Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing then," she joked as she tried to suppress the smile on her lips.

Steve poked her on the side.

"Oww, what was that for?" she asked as she let out the laugh she was trying to hold and finally looked at him.

"You know you couldn't have lived you life without meeting me," he joked as he smirked at her.

"Oh, really? Why because you're some sort of God and a girl can't have a normal life without meeting you first?" she mocked.

Steve nodded, "Yep, that's about it."

Mia laughed and playfully slapped him on the shoulder, "Oh get over your self McGarret."

Steve just smiled at Mia and watched her as she resumed going through the pictures. He was enjoying the slight banter they had going on. It felt like the old days and he was happy to see her smile and laugh carelessly for once since she had arrived in Hawaii.

"Oh my god, look at this picture Steve. Savanna and Jake look like babies," she laughed as she showed him the picture of Savanna and Jake after a football game during Savi's and Mia's freshmen year, "and this one with all four of us."

"We look really young, we all do," Steve commented as he moved closer to take a better look at the picture. "Who would have thought that Jake and Savanna would end up together, married, and with a daughter."

"I know right? I told Savanna the same thing when she told me she had married Jake Hendricks. I remember when she crushed all through high school up until he graduated and left. I never really got Jake. What was his deal? I mean it was obvious he liked her but he never did ask her out," she reminisced as she studied the picture of all four of them.

"Jake just wanted to play the field. I mean he did have genuine feelings for Savanna but he didn't want to be tied down to just one person. He wanted to enjoy it while he could and I always told him he would end up losing her if he didn't get it together but look at them now, he got the girl," Steve told her and then turned his face to watch her closely.

"I know, he did and she got the guy. I'm happy for them, really happy. They definitely got their happy ending," she said with a smile as she turned to look at him and noticed how close Steve had gotten. They were merely inches away from each other; she could practically feel his breath on her face.

"What about yours?" he whispered.

Mia turned away from him and shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "I don't know, I guess we are not all destined to have one."

"Everyone is destined to have some sort of happy ending, Mia, or to at least try to get one," he softly told her as he put his fingers on her chin and slowly turned her to look at him, "even you." Then he slowly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

It was so small Mia barely felt it and as she was about to respond to his kiss but Steve pulled back.

"It's getting late. Maybe we should continue throwing out stuff tomorrow," he said as he pulled away.

"Steve," Mia said trying to get him to look at her as she moved closer trying to fill the gap he created when he pulled away.

"Catherine is gone," he blurted out without thinking about it.

Mia stopped her movements and in a confused tone asked him, "What?"

"Catherine and I are no longer together. I mean we were never officially together, per say, but you know, we had some sort of relationship and two weeks ago we parted ways," Steve let out in a single breath.

"Is that what the flowers were for?"

"The flowers were to show you that you're the one that I want Mia. I want you to give us a chance and try to see where it will go. I love you Mia, I never stopped loving you and I want you to give me a chance to prove it to you. If you want we can start all over, take it slow; get to know each other again. You know, do the whole 'going out on dates' thing again," Steve said as he looked at Mia.

Mia burst out laughing. She knew it was rude and cruel to laugh after everything he just said but she was happy because she would finally have her chance with Steve.

"What's so funny? I just poured out my heart to you and all you do is laugh?" Steve asked with an incredulous and confused look.

"I'm sorry," Mia apologized as the laughter died down to give way to tears, "it's just that after all these years of hating you for something you had no idea about and the way I treated you, you're asking me for a chance."

"Hey," he softly told her as he wiped away the tears falling from he eyes with his thumbs, "we can't erase the past but we can try to move on from it."

"All these years I whished that none of what happened were true and that we'd still be together and now I just don't know what to say," she said in between tears.

"I just hope you really want this as much as I do and that you say yes, yes to us," he said as he held her face between his hands.

Mia nodded, "I love you so much Steve and I never stopped loving you either."

Mia threw her arms around Steve and kissed give with so much force and passion causing Steve to lose his balance as they both fell down, him on his back and Mia on top of him, breaking the kiss. They burst out laughing at what just had happened.

"Gosh I'm sorry, I just knocked your breath out of you," she said as she tried moving away to give him room but Steve held her in place as he put his arms around her waist.

"I'm fine and you're not going anywhere," he said as he moved one hand behind her head and gently pushed her head down to him as he have her another mind-blowing kiss.

Mia and Steve moaned in response to their kissing as they both were lost in the moment but Steve broke the moment to catch his breath and he gruffly told Mia, "I don't think the cold hard floor is a good place to be doing this, maybe we should move this somewhere softer and more comfortable."

Mia giggled in response causing Steve to raise both eyebrows. "You're right, at thirty-five we should definitely be more worried about your back problems. Maybe you shouldn't be doing such strenuous activities anymore," she mocked.

"Hey you're not that far behind and I can definitely still handle strenuous activities. The floor is just too hard to enjoy it," he defended.

"Right," she laughed and suddenly she was whisked off the floor and thrown on the bed letting out a big belly laugh.

"How's that for a thirty-five year old man, that according to you, can't handle much strenuous activities," he told her as he stood on the side of the bed with his hands on his hips looking down at her with a smirk on his handsome face.

Mia calmed down her laughter as she replied to him, "That wasn't so bad but I still think you have a lot to proof."

"Really?" he asked in a seductive voice as he got on the bed and slowly crawled on top of her.

Mia wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips to bring him closer to her, wanting to feel him as close to her as possible, as she nodded in response and brought his face down to hers to fully kiss him on the mouth.

They were kissing each other, their hands roaming each other's bodies, eliciting moans from one another, when Steve gently broke the kiss and hoarsely told her in between smaller kisses, "Mia?"

"Hmm?" she replied not able to form any coherent words after the mind-blowing make-out session they just shared as she played with the tips of his short hairs behind his head.

"I don't think I'll be able to hold back this time," he honestly told her as he pressed his lower body into her to give proof of that causing Mia to moan in response.

"Then don't," she whispered looking him in the eyes.

Steve didn't have to be told twice. He quickly got off the bed to remove his shoes and his pants, watching Mia do the same. She was on her bra and panties when she got on her knees and slid to the edge of the bed to help Steve out of the shirt he was wearing under the button down blouse.

"I don't remember you having these many tattoos," she said as she slowly traced the tattoo on his right arm, "or any for that matter. I like them."

"I'm glad you approve," he said as he grabbed her hand to stop her from any more tracing and brought it to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly brought them both down on the mattress, with him on top of her. "You have an amazing body," he softly said as he took his time to admire it for the first time in over twenty years and started placing small kisses all over her stomach slowly going up until he reached her neck.

"Steve, kiss me," she gently ordered him.

"You're wishing is my command," he told her as he claimed her mouth with his in a slow, sensual kiss that would have her begging for more.

Mia could feel Steve's hardness pressing into her, the only barrier being her white-laced panties and his black boxer briefs. She slowly brought her hand down in between them, wanting to feel him as she lifted the band of his boxer briefs and moved her hand in to gently stroke his hardness. She heard Steve moan and continued with what she was doing.

"God, you're killing me Mia," he whispered against her neck as he placed small kisses there and slowly brought down her bra strap to give him more access.

"Please Steve, make love to me. Make me yours," she quietly begged him.

That night Steve made love to Mia in the same place he had made love to her for the first time when they were kids. Now he was making love to her once more, but this time it was the first time now that they were both grown up.

* * *

Mia woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. She couldn't believe that Steve and she were finally together again after all these years and last night was proof of how much they still loved each other. Mia couldn't help but smile at the memory of last night as Steve gently made love to her for the first time in years and then they had sped things up as neither of them could get enough of each other. They ended up falling asleep very late in the night, or you could say very early in the morning, depending on how you looked at it. She turned to look at him lying down, asleep next to her with a look of contentment on his beautiful face. Mia didn't want to wake him up, so she slowly got out of bed grabbed the first piece of clothing she could find, which ended up being Steve's button up shirt, and made her way towards the bathroom down the hall.

When Mia got back to the room, she noticed Steve was still asleep, so she slowly got into the bed trying not to make too much movement, not wanting to wake him up. He looked so peaceful in his sleep and he seemed very relaxed for once. As soon as she was making her self comfortable under the blankets, Steve pulled her to him.

"Where did you go? I missed you," he sleepily whispered smiling at her without opening his eyes.

"I thought you were asleep," she told him as she caressed his cheek, letting his morning stubble graze her hands.

Steve moved closer to Mia, opened his eyes and told her, "I was but someone couldn't keep still."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you up. I love watching you sleep; you looked so peaceful and relaxed while sleeping."

"That's because I have you with me now," he mumbled as he placed a good morning kiss on her lips. "Why are you wearing too much clothes," he asked her as he pulled at the shirt she was wearing.

"It's just your shirt. It was the first thing I grabbed when I went to use the bathroom," she explained to him as he moved his hands to her thighs and gently massaged them making his way up under the shirt she was wearing.

"As much as I love to see you in my clothes, I prefer to see you without it or anything else for that matter," he told her with a smile on his lips as he kissed her once more sliding his tongue against her lips asking for entrance.

They were getting lost in each other when a grumbling noise interrupted them causing Mia to burst out laughing. "I think someone is hungry," she said as she tried to get away from Steve.

"Yeah me too, but not necessarily for food," he said as he kissed her neck and tried to get her attention back on what they were doing.

"I'm really hungry Steve," she pouted, "and I'm going to need my energy to finish what we just started."

"Are you sure you can't wait?" he asked as he brought his face up to look at her face.

Mia shook her head in response with a small pout, causing Steve to laugh and groan in response.

"Alright, alright, let's see what we can find downstairs," he said as he pulled the blankets away and stood up to look for his clothes. He found his boxer briefs and was putting them on when he turned around to find Mia staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing just admiring the view," she said with a small blush and a smile on her face causing Steve to laugh.

"You can stare all you want, _after _we have something to eat. Weren't you the one complaining about being hungry? I would've been happy to stay in bed all day," he reminded her giving her a pointed look.

"Fine," she grumbled as she got out of bed and picked up her clothes off the floor to get dressed.

They were downstairs going through the cabinets looking from something to eat. The fridge was empty too except for the left over from last night. Mia gave up looking for food as she hopped on the counter next to the fridge.

Steve slammed the door of the fridge closed. "What did my mother eat when she was staying here if there's nothing to eat in this house?" he asked in disbelief at not finding anything to eat.

"She just had the necessary things," Mia said as she played with her hair swinging her legs.

Steve came to stand in between her legs and Mia happily wrapped them around him as he placed his hands on her thighs. "How about we go out for breakfast?" he offered.

"I'm all dirty and I don't have extra clothes," Mia complained.

"I like you dirty," he said as he smiled and placed a kiss on her neck. "How about I go to my place, which is just like two blocks away, get a quick shower, and then I follow you to your apartment. I still don't understand why you're living in that apartment when you have this house."

"I don't want to live here, too many memories," she said with her head down.

"I have some very good ones of my own," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah well I think those are the only good ones we both have in common when it comes to this house," she said not looking at him.

"Why? Did something happen here?" he asked getting concerned at her when she wouldn't look at him.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mia said as she gently pushed Steve out of the way and jumped off the counter walking towards the stairs. "I'm going to grab my things to lock up and then we'll leave."

"Mia," he said as he caught up with her by the stairs. Once he saw he had her attention, he quietly said, "Are you alright?"

Mia nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about it; I just don't want to ruin the mood. I'm enjoying this time together."

"Alright, if you're sure," he told her but inside he knew something wasn't right but he was willing to let it go for now. "I'll wait for you here."

Five minutes later, Steve was pacing by the entrance and there was still no sign of Mia. "Mia come on, I'm getting really hungry too."

Mia suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs carrying what appeared to be the box of pictures from last night. "Alright, alright, I'm coming," she said as she walked down the stairs.

"What are you doing with those?" he asked looking at her with curiosity.

"I'm taking them back to my apartment so I can finish looking at them. Someone got me distracted last night and I didn't finish," she told him as she finally stood in front of him and stood on her toes to give him a peck on the lips. "Let's go."

Steve took the box from her and carried it to the trunk of her Audi as she locked up the house.

"So I was thinking," she began, "I should go straight to my place to shower and change and then you can pick me up once you're done."

"Sounds good, I'll see you in a bit," he told her and leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

Steve waited until Mia got in her car and drove away, then he made his way to his truck and took off smiling the whole way.

* * *

Mia got to her apartment to find it empty. Peter and Lisa were no where to be found. She saw a note from them on the kitchen counter saying that they had gone out to do some sight seeing and would probably be gone the whole day. Mia thought it was perfect, this way she would get the whole day to herself and Steve. Hopefully it wasn't interrupted by some selfish criminal who decided to ruin their day and call them in to work.

Mia showered and dressed in a coral long halter summer dress with a V in the front that showed just enough cleavage. She applied some light brown eye shadow and mascara and a bit of blush to give her cheeks some color. She was about to towel dry her hair when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mia let the towel drop to floor and went to answer the door.

After checking who it was, she opened the door to find Steve at her door dress in jeans, a black t-shirt, and black sandals, with a single red rose in his right hand as he leaned against the door frame.

"Hey beautiful," he said as he handed her the rose.

"Hey yourself," she said taking the rose, smelling it and giving him a big dimpled-smile. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"Just admiring the view," he said with a smile as he straightened up and walked into her apartment. Grabbing her from the waist with one hand properly kissing her, he said against her lips, "I missed you."

"Me too," she said as she returned the kiss, "but I'm not even finished getting ready. Give me ten minutes. Make yourself comfortable."

Mia went back to her room, picked up the towel and brushed her hair. She decided to do a side braid and let a few strands escape on both sides of her head. She grabbed her white wedges and walked to the living room to find Steve looking at some files she had left on the side table.

"They're just some files I was studying and comparing them to the ones you gave me on WoFat," she said as she sat on the chair on the other side of him and put on her shoes. Once she was ready she stood up, walked towards Steve and took the files from him. "Come on, no work today," she said as she grabbed his hand to make him stand up.

"Wow did you grow in the last hour or so?" he asked teasing her, knowing she had put on three inch wedges.

Mia was only five feet four inches tall and the shoes she was wearing made her grow at least three extra inches, making her almost as tall as Steve but not quite since he was still a few inches taller than her. She stuck out her tongue at him and told him to get moving. "I'm starving Steve, feed me and then you can mock me all you want."

Steve and Mia spent the rest of the day hanging around, walking hand in hand along the streets of Honolulu like any other normal couple. They talked, updating the other of each others lives in the last twenty years. They were sitting down outside a small ice cream parlor when Steve gave her an idea regarding her house.

"So, Danny has had terrible luck finding a decent place for him and Grace to rent. Even though he just gets her on weekends every two weeks, I think it'd be great for him to finally have a nice decent place to have Grace sleep in. I was thinking on my way to your apartment that maybe instead of selling your house you should consider renting it out," he shared with her his idea.

"To Danny," she stated.

"To Danny," he agreed with a nod of his head.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," she said as she thought about the idea over in her head.

"Think about it, the mortgage is fully paid, you can rent it to him at a reasonable price, one you both can agree on and one he can obviously afford."

Mia leaned into the table to grab his hand and give it a squeeze. "I knew you were still a big softy on the inside and the way you worry about where your friend lives is proof of that," she gently teased.

"I am not a big softy. I just found the idea logical. You don't want the house, it's fully paid, and Danny needs a nice and affordable place to stay in. It makes sense," he said with a shrug of his shoulders as if it were no big deal. "You don't have to agree to anything now, just an idea to think about."

"I'll do it," she readily agreed. "We can talk to Danny and see what he thinks. He doesn't even need any furniture. The house is fully equipped, maybe just a washer and dryer."

Steve gave her a big goofy smile. "I knew you were still the kind and caring girl I once fell in love with."

She returned his smile and decided to change the subject. "So have you talked to your mom?"

"No I haven't seen her much. I barely catch a glimpse of her before going to work and last night I was busy."

"Really, doing what?" she coyly asked.

"You mean _'doing who'_," he replied with a smug look earning him a kick on the shin under the table.

"Oww," he complained as he massaged his shin.

"Pig," she told him.

"Hey you asked," he defended.

"Whatever," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She stood up and grabbed his hand for him to do the same as she said, "Come on. Let's go."

Steve pulled her hand to bring her towards him making her sit on his lap, "Wait there's something else I have to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked as she massaged the outline of his ear lobe.

"Peter Donovan, how do you know him?" he asked as he looked at her for some reaction.

Mia stopped what she was doing and looked away, somewhere over Steve's head. "I met him about a week before I lost the baby at the clothing shop I used to work in. He brought his daughter, about a year younger than me, to shop. We just talked, he said he was on vacation with his family and asked what places were good to eat, stuff like that. Then a day or two later, I don't remember, I ran into him at the beach, we just talked. I don't really remember about what but I do remember that something made it so easy to talk to him." She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know I felt like I was talking to someone really close to me. The next time I saw him was when I was in the hospital. I don't know how he found out but he did and he offered to cover all the costs which I of course didn't accept. I mean he was nice and everything but he was still a stranger and Savi's parents were already paying for everything. They never judged me, never turned their back on me, they were so kind and caring, just like real parents. Yeah they lectured me and all that stuff my own mother didn't even do but at they end of the day they offered me all their support. Peter, then, just left me his card to contact him if I ever needed anything."

Steve was thinking about everything Mia just told him. "Don't you find it a bit weird that this man comes out of nowhere and offers his help without anything in return?" he asked her as he drew small circles on her lower back.

"That's exactly what Savanna said but all I have to say about him are great things and his wife treats me like one of her own."

Steve wasn't convinced. Something was off and he would find out what it was.

* * *

On Monday after a quiet day at work Mia and Steve found themselves in Steve's living room enjoying the movie "Child's Play" while they waited for the trick-or-treaters to come asking for candy. Mia and Steve were sitting very close trying to enjoy the movie when Kamekona came out dressed as Super Seal thanks to Steve.

"Steve man thank you for the hook up again. How do I look," they heard Kamekona ask.

"You look like you're ready to report to Seal Team 6 pal," Steve said taking in Kamekona's outfit.

"For real?" he asked.

"For real," Steve answered nodding.

"I was thinking, you know how you said no weapons, but if you let me borrow some of those smokey things I would really look legit," he said.

Steve turned to look at Mia with a questioning look and she said shrugging her shoulders, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"You know, no, we discussed that earlier. No heavy ordinances, that was the deal but you look great," Steve said.

Kamekona went to get the DVD box and asked Steve if he'd heard of Blue Ray to which Steve said that yes he had and that he'd rented that movie with Jenny Thelma in the ninth grade for Halloween and it had been a tradition ever since.

"You're good to go now I think," Steve asked him clearly dismissing him but Kamekona had other plans as he sat in between Mia and Steve. "Hey, isn't there a party you've got to go to?"

"Pretty soon," Kamekona replied looking at the tv.

""Hey, hey," Steve said to Kamekona motioning towards the door to which he finally got the hint and stood up to leave.

"You two have a wonderful evening," Kamekona said grabbing a handful of candy on his way out.

When Kamekona left, Mia turned to Steve and asked him in an amused tone, "So, Jenny Thelma?"

"Yeah?" Steve asked his attention back on the movie as he placed an arm around Mia's shoulders and got comfortable.

"Who's Jenny?" Mia asked full of curiosity.

Steve shrugged as he answered, "Some girl I dated freshmen year."

"So this movie," Mia said pointing to the movie, "is your way of hooking up with a girl?"

"What?" Steve asked turning to look at Mia with a confused look. "No of course not, I just happen to like the movie."

Mia laughed at Steve and said, "Sure babe, just know that you don't have to use those tricks on me."

"I do not use this movie to hook up with girls," Steve defended himself but before he could continue his phone rang. "McGarret," he said into his phone, "I'm on my way. No don't bother; she's right here with me."

"Was that work?" Mia asked to which Steve nodded and soon they were on their way to the crime scene.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**A/N: Thank you to all the new followers and reviewers ;D Keep the reviews coming, I love them all. This is the last chapter I had completely written for a few weeks now with a few corrections I made recently. Hope you like it and hopefully I can finally catch up on the show's episodes this week to be able to incorporate them into the story, just bear with me.  
**

"I can't believe you two are together again," Savi said over the phone as Mia got some paperwork done in her office.

It was Thursday and it was relatively calm compared to the previous days. She was doing her share of paper work so she didn't have to leave it until the last minute and the sooner she was done the sooner she could go back to the case that brought her back to Hawaii. While she was working, she had received a call from her best friend to invite her to her daughter's first birthday in three weeks, which had to be postponed due to an accident Jake's parents had suffered and they would finally be able to get around celebrating Kelly's first birthday. Then Mia had updated her on her situation with Steve.

"I know, I can't either but I'm really happy Savi," Mia told her as she put her pen down and leaned back on her chair.

"I just hope he gets it right this time and don't get me wrong, I am happy for you. I just don't want to see you get hurt by Steve again," Savi honestly told her, always looking out for Mia.

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine, I promise," Mia assured her friend.

"If you're positive. So does everyone know already? Have you guys told Doris? I bet she would be really happy to have you as a daughter-in-law," Savi commented.

"Well I don't think the team knows, at least they haven't mentioned anything and we told Doris over dinner last night."

"What did she say?"

"She was very happy for both of us and she said she was glad to have me back as part of her family," Mia shared with Savi as she played with a strand of her hair.

"I'm glad to hear that. I know she always saw you as her daughter just like MaryAnn. By the way, has Steve or Doris talked to her?"

"No not yet. I'm not sure when they plan on telling her mother is alive but I hope they do so soon," Mia said staring at the ceiling.

"Hopefully she doesn't freak. Alright then, I'll let you get back to work. Keep me updated," Savi said.

"I will, take care. Bye Savi," she said and hung up the phone.

Mia got back to work and no sooner had she started writing when there was a knock on her door. Looking up she saw Steve at her door. "Come in," she said.

"Everything alright?" he said motioning to the phone as he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Yeah, I was just talking to Savanna. She called to invite me to her daughter's birthday party in three weeks," she answered with a smile.

"I don't get an invite?" he asked pretending to be hurt.

"Of course you do. Jake will probably be calling you soon," she said.

Steve nodded. "Yeah he actually called me about ten minutes ago. So what are your plans for tonight?"

"I promised Peter and Lisa I would go to dinner with them. It's their last night here and as it is we haven't had much time to hang out. Want to come?"

"No I think I'll pass. The team and I were actually going out for some drinks and I wanted to see if you wanted to join us, but you already have plans."

"Yeah, sorry, but next time for sure," she promised.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your work then," he said as he stood up to leave.

"Later," she said as she went back to her work, hopefully with no interruptions this time.

That night Mia took Peter and his wife Lisa to eat at Savanna's restaurant, which served a great variety of delicious food. They talked about their stay in Hawaii and how they wished they could've spent more time with her but they understood how hectic her career was, especially Peter. They also talked about things back at home and lastly the topic Mia tried to avoid, Steve.

"I just think you're better off without that man, Mia. I mean, he's pure trouble especially with someone so dangerous after him and his family. He's putting you at risk as well," commented Lisa obviously worried for Mia's safety.

"I understand your concern Lisa and I appreciate it but there's no need for it. I am perfectly capable of taking care of my self," she assured them.

"I agree with Lisa on this one Mia. Maybe you should reconsider your relationship with that man. Besides, who's to say that he won't do the same thing he did to you years ago?" Peter inserted.

Mia was becoming annoyed. She loved these people but this was her personal life and she decided what was right for her and what wasn't even if it ended up hurting her. "I get it that you're both looking out for me, I do. I love you guys and I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me over the years but that doesn't give you the right to meddle into my private life. I believe I am old enough to make my own decisions when it comes to my personal life. I love Steve. He's a great guy and we already talked about what happened, you guys know that, and I really wish you would just be happy for me."

"Why are you so protective of Steve? You never got like this with any of the other men you've dated," Peter told her studying her closely.

"Because I love him and he's not like any of those other men I've dated. I really don't want us to get into an argument so I'm going to ask both of you to please drop the Steve subject," she told them seriously.

"We didn't mean for you to get upset. We're just looking out for you," Lisa said as she grabbed Mia's hand in a show of affection.

"I know you are Lisa but please don't interfere in this. I know what I'm doing," she told them earnestly.

"Alright, just don't say we didn't warn you," Peter warned still unconvinced.

"Hey boss, when are you and Mia going to tell us the news?" Kono asked Steve as the team, including Max and Kamekona, sat around a table in bar close to Steve's house.

"What news?" Steve asked playing dumb obviously knowing they were referring to Mia and him being together.

"Come on man, we all know what's going on. You guys are very obvious for a Super Seal and a Special Agent with years of undercover experience," Danny said with smile across from where Steve sat.

"Gees and I thought we would be able to get away with it for another week or so," Steve joked.

"Yeah well next time keep your flirting looks to yourselves and stop following each others moves with your eyes if you don't want anyone to know," Chin informed Steve causing everyone at the table to laugh.

"No but seriously, is it official?" Danny asked.

"If by official you mean that she's my girlfriend then the answer is yes Danno," Steve said earning him hi-fives and pats in the back from his friends.

"Finally," Danny said as he raised his hands in the air.

"You two look good together," Kono said.

"I agree," Chin said and Max and Kamekona nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys," said Steve.

"I still think she's too hot for you," Danny told him with a smirk on his face.

"You're just jealous Danno," Steve said causing the team to laugh.

"I am not jealous my friend. I am just stating the facts."

"I think Danny just feels neglected. Now that Mia has all your free time, you've abandoned him," teased Kono.

"Aww is that right Danno?" Steve asked.

"I see enough of you all week long, sometimes even on what's supposed to be my day off," Danny said. "By the way, where is she?"

"She had other plans with some friends that are visiting from New York," Steve told them as he drank from his beer. "She promised to join us next time."

Danny nodded in acknowledgement and soon the conversation shifted to sports.

The next day Mia had requested permission to come in late for work because she had to drop off Peter and Lisa at the airport. Steve was in his office finishing up some paperwork he had left unattended all week when Danny barged into his office.

"Steve I got back the report on Donovan. You're going to want to see this," Danny said handing over the folder to Steve.

Steve looked at Danny with interest. "Why? Find anything important?" he asked as he took the folder and opened it.

"That man's real last name is Peter Summers. According to the report, he changed it about thirty-three years ago when he moved from Hawaii to New York," Danny informed Steve as Steve scanned through the report. "Do you see what I'm trying to say here?"

"He's," Steve paused, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Danny, are you sure about this?"

"It's all in there," Danny said pointing to the report.

"Why would he do this? To Mia?" he asked.

"Man, you've got to tell her."

"Tell her what Danny? That the man she met all those years ago pretending to be some Good Samaritan is her father? That he pretended to be someone he wasn't just to get close to her. God Danny she hates her father but she loves the Peter she thinks she knows. She thinks of him as a father and I don't even know if she knows the name of her real father."

"I don't know Steve but you can't keep her from this. You just got her back and if she finds out you kept something like this from her she will never forgive you," Danny tried to convince Steve.

"I need to think it through," Steve said as he ran his hands through his face and his hair as a sign of frustration.

"Don't think about it too much, it might end up being too late when you decide what to do," Danny advised his friend.

"I know Danny, I just, I don't know what to do," Steve said. "I don't want to see the look of disappointment on her face when I tell her this."

"It's going to be worse if she finds out from someone else and discovers that you knew this."  
Steve nodded in acknowledgment and with that Danny left Steve alone in his office so he could read the report.

An hour later Mia walked through the doors of the Five-O headquarters in a happy mood. The Donovan's had agreed to not question her relationship with Steve and leave her to make her own decisions as long as she took really good care of her self. She decided to stop by Danny's office to talk to him about Steve's idea regarding her house.

"Hey Danny, can I come in?" she asked him as she stood on his open doorway.

"Sure," he said motioning for her to come in without lifting his head from his work.

"I wanted to talk to you about something Steve and I were discussing a few days ago. I don't know if he has mentioned any of this to you," she said looking at him.

Danny stopped what he was doing to look up at Mia, "I'm listening."

"Well there's this house I own, where I used to live when I was younger, and I was thinking about putting it on the market since I want nothing to do with it," she paused gauging for some sort of reaction from Danny.

"If you're suggesting I buy it, sorry to disappoint you, but I can't afford to buy a home right now," Danny said as he leaned into his desk and cross his hands on top of it.

"No nothing like that. Steve came up with this idea of renting it out to you, of course at a very affordable price for you. The mortgage is fully paid and I'm not worried about the money. It'd be great for you and your daughter," she said.

"How much are we talking about here?" he asked giving her a questioning look.

"What are you currently paying at your place?"

"One thousand dollars," he said.

"Alright, how you pay me about nine-hundred and fifty dollars? It comes fully furnished with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living room, family room, and of course you have the beach in your backyard. It's a really great price for something much better than what you are paying for now," she offered.

"Are you serious?" Danny asked with interest.

"Absolutely," she said.

Danny stood up and extended his hand towards hers. "Then you've got yourself a deal."

Mia shook his hand and asked him, "You don't want to look at it first?"

"I trust you and Steve. Besides, I'm sure anything else is better than the dump hole I live in."

"Alright, these are the keys and the address," she said handing him the keys and piece of paper, "you can go check it out today and move in when you're ready. All I have to do is pick up a few boxes I left there and I'll probably pick them up this weekend."

Danny nodded with a big grin on his face.

Steve was coming out of his office looking down at some paper and when he looked up he saw Danny hugging Mia, his girlfriend, inside Danny's office. Steve made his way into Danny's office demanding that he take his hands off his girlfriend.

"Chill man, it was just a demonstration of gratitude," Danny raised his hands in defense.

Steve pulled Mia to him by grabbing her from the waist. "There's no need to get all touchy feely."

"Steve calm down, Danny's right. He was just thanking me for letting him rent my house, just like you suggested," Mia soothed as she massaged his left hand, which was currently holding her.

Steve relaxed after hearing that. "I'm really glad you accepted the offer Danny," Steve told him genuinely.

"Thanks," Danny responded with his hands in his pockets.

"Listen Mia, I need to talk to you about something. Why don't we go to my office?" Steve said looking at whole time at Danny.

Mia noticed the look the passed between Danny and Steve. She found it weird so she decided to ask Steve about it. "What's with the look? Is everything alright?"

"What look?" Steve asked.

"The one you and Danny just shared," she said looking back and forth. "See there it is again."

"There's no look. You're imagining things. Can you wait in my office for me please?"

"Alright," she said not convinced as she looked at them the whole time while walking out of the office.

"So you decided on telling her?" Danny asked the moment he saw Mia was in Steve's office away from earshot.

"Yeah, you're right. She should hear this from me and not wait until it's too late," he said not really looking forward to the conversation he was about to have with Mia.

"Good luck, man," Danny said as he patted Steve on the shoulder and went back to work.

Steve let out a small sarcastic laugh as he said, "Yeah, thanks Danno."

Mia was sitting on Steve's chair playing with a pen when he walked in.

"So, what's up Commander?" she asked as she sat up on the chair and leaned onto the desk.

Steve went around behind the desk and sat on the corner of it to Mia's left. "The other day I asked Danny to do something for me. I asked him to do some research on Peter Donovan," he saw her ready to protest but before she could say something, he continued, "Before you say anything, hear me out please. I just don't trust the man. Something about him strikes me as odd. I just wanted to make sure he is who he says he is for your own safety."

Mia looked at Steve and said, "You don't trust anyone Steve. Everyone always strikes you as odd. What, are you going to do a background check on me next? 'Cause let me tell you, you're not going to find anything."

Mia looked at Steve and at his look she said, "You already did, didn't you?"

Mia chuckled and shook her head as she stood up and tried to make her way around Steve but he held on to her arm, stopping her from going further. "Come on Mia, you didn't want to talk to me. You hated me and I tried looking for something that would clue me in on your attitude towards me but you're right I came out empty-handed."

"Yeah well that's because I didn't want anyone to know anything about me," she spat back then thought about it and she knew he was right. "I'm sorry. You're right, I didn't make it easy on you, but that still doesn't excuse you from going around looking for something in Peter's life. I already know he did something he's not proud of in his past but whatever it was, it's none of my business. All I know is that the Peter I know is a great man and I don't want to know what you found out about him," she told him looking him in the eyes.

"Mia this is important, please, trust in me," he began but was interrupted by the knock on his door.

Danny poked his head in and said, "Sorry to interrupt but we just got a case."

Steve turned and nodded at Danny. "Alright, we'll be there in a second." Turning to Mia he said, "We'll continue this later."

"No we won't Steve. I'm done having this conversation with you," she said and walked out of his office.

"You didn't tell her did you?" Danny asked Steve once they were in the Camaro on their way to the crime scene.

"No, Danny, I didn't," Steve said as he glanced in the rearview mirror checking that Mia was still following them in her car.

"Why not?" Danny said looking at his friend.

"She didn't give me a chance. She says she doesn't want to know whatever it is I found out about Peter. It's like she has him on this really high pedestal and nothing can or will affect the way she sees him."

"You just got to keep trying until she hears you out," Danny said.

"I know Danno, I know but what do you want me to do? Tie her up so she listens?"

"Hey, you're the Super Seal here. You figure out what's best."

Steve just nodded and decided to change the subject. "So what's going on with Gracie and the custody fight?"

"Nothing new, it's still going on," Danny said looking out the window. "You know, Rachel called me the other day demanding to know why I was doing this to her."

"What you tell her?"

"The truth, that I'm done moving myself and Grace around and that this is her home," Danny said purposely leaving out the part where he called this island his home too. Steve didn't need to know that.

"I also told her that if she had anything else to say she should contact my lawyers."

"I'm sorry man, for having to go through this whole mess."

Danny nodded and that was all that was said the rest of the ride.

* * *

The case was short and straight to the point, a woman killing her husband thinking he was cheating with her sister when in reality the sister was helping him plan out his surprise twenty-fifth wedding anniversary gift. Now the woman would spend the rest of her life in prison regretting it.

It was four in the afternoon on Friday when the whole team decided to call it a day. Steve had invited everyone over to his house for drinks and grilled steaks. The team said they would meet at Steve's house in an hour. When everyone left, Steve had still not seen Mia come out of her office so he went to look for her.

He found her in her office cleaning up her desk. "Hey are you coming?" he asked her standing by the door.

Mia nodded, "Yeah, I was just putting all these papers away." She finished up and joined Steve at the door. "Let's go."

Steve took her hand and they walked out of the office together.

When Mia and Steve arrived at his house she realized she had not been in it since that day when John told her Steve wasn't in Hawaii anymore. Yeah they'd been in his house for Halloween, but only for less than an hour before they were called on a case. She hadn't actually had time to reminisce on all the times she'd spend there with Steve and his parents.

"You know, I haven't been to your house in years. I mean Halloween doesn't really count because we weren't here for long," she told him.

He looked down at her as he was inserting the key in the keyhole. "Want me to give you the grand tour to refresh your memory?" he asked her.

"Wouldn't be such a bad idea but I doubt much has changed," she said as they walked in.

"Just in case, this here to my left is the living room where we were watching the movie in case you forgot and to my right is the staircase, which in case you forgot leads to the bedrooms," he said giving her a knowing look.

"You know what, now that you mention it, I don't think I remember much of the upstairs. Why don't we start the tour there?" she said as she pulled him towards the stairs.

"Alright, if you insist," he said following her.

Once they reached the top, the first room in view was his but Mia pretended to not know this. "So whose room is this?" she asked as she walked in and sat on the bed. "It's really comfy," she said as she patted the spot next to her for Steve to join her.

Steve smiled knowing where Mia was going with this. "Yeah it actually is," he said as he sat next to her and Mia came closer to him. "I know first-hand because this right here is my room, and I bet you already knew that."

"Damn and here I thought that maybe this would be the first time I could slip something past you," she whispered against Steve's lips. She didn't let him respond as she pushed Steve down on the bed and straddled him.

"Mia I don't think we-" he began but was cut off by Mia capturing his lips in a heated and passionate kiss.

"You think way too much," she whispered against his ear as she gently bit it causing Steve to shiver in response.

"The team will be here soon and so will Savi and Jake," he tried reasoning with her but she was having none of that as she kissed his neck, his jaw, and once again captured his lips in another heated kiss.

"Don't worry, we have time," she said as she sat on his hips and began to undo his belt buckle and purposely moving against his growing erection.

"Mia you're killing me here," he said as he covered his eyes with one arm.

"Well then I'll just have to make sure you die a happy man," she said with a wicked smile as Steve removed his arm just in time to see it.

Steve lost it right there as he grabbed her and flipped her over so she was on her back now and he was on top of her.

"Took you long enough," she said in a laugh cut short by Steve's mouth covering hers.

"Mmm," she moaned into his mouth driving Steve crazy.

Steve undressed himself quickly and Mia followed suit as they tangled themselves in a quick and very heated lovemaking.

"Wow, that was," Mia began but was interrupted by the voices downstairs.

_-"Hello, anybody home?"-_

_-"They're probably in the backyard._"-

"I told you there wasn't time," Steve whispered as he got up and dressed quickly.

"Babe you're too paranoid. Plus, you weren't complaining much a minute ago," Mia said as she wrapped herself in a sheet and took her time.

"Yeah well I better get down there before Danny decides to come looking for us up here," Steve said as he quickly kissed Mia and went downstairs leaving a laughing Mia behind.

"There you are," Danny said as he saw Steve coming downstairs and took in his disheveled appearance,

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything."

"Don't worry about it," he said as he walked to the kitchen not looking at them.

"So where's Mia?" Chin asked as he and Danny followed Steve.

"She'll be down in a minute," Steve said as he got the necessary stuff to grill steaks and as he finished talking, Mia came into the kitchen with a big smile on her face.

"Hey guys," she said too cheery causing everyone to turn and stare at her. "What?" she asked as she heard the doorbell. "Hold that thought. I'll get the door."

"She's awfully cheery, don't you think so Steve?" Danny asked casually, a little too casually for Steve's liking, as everyone followed Steve outside.

"Yeah well let her be. Why don't you make yourself useful and grab us some beers?"

"Yes sir," Danny mocked.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet two of my friends, and Steve's of course. This is Jake and Savanna Hendricks," she said pointing to them, "and this blonde over here is Danny Williams and Chin Ho Kelly."

"Nice to meet you," they all said as they shook hands.

"I'll go bring out the beer," Danny said after the introductions were over.

"Where's Kono?" Mia asked not seeing her among the crowd.

"She should be here any minute," Chin said. "Ah, there she is."

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had to do some things," Kono apologized.

Mia introduced Kono to her friends and they all settled in a friendly talk. The team asked how Mia and Steve were as young kids wanting to know more about their boss and the new girl in the team. Savanna and Jake also invited the rest of the team to Kelly's first birthday party.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you to all the new followers and favorites for following this story. This chapter focuses on episode six 'I Ka Wa Mamua', my favorite episode of the season so far. It was a very emotional chapter and honestly it touched me deeply especially the scene where Danny sees what happened on September 11. Hands down to the writer and anyone who was involved in the making of this episode. I also want you to know that I did borrow a lot of stuff from this episode because I couldn't have written it better, but you might see a few changes I made here and there. I hope everyone reading this story is still enjoying my story and before I forget, thank you to all my reviewers. Keep them coming :)**

**Chapter 20**

The following Friday Mia took Danny to a clothes boutique because he had asked for suggestions on where Grace could find a nice dress for a very important occasion. Grace's school was hosting a Father and Daughter Dance and Danny had promised Grace he would take her. The store Mia ended up taking them to was the same store she had worked in when she was younger. Earlier in the week while she was running some errands she discovered the store was still opened but now it was run by the owner's daughter.

When they walked in, a very popular song amongst the teens was playing and Mia couldn't help but sing along to it earning her a questioning look from Danny.

"What? I like this song," she stated, not ashamed of admitting to like a song that was most likely meant for young kids.

"How can you even listen to this stuff?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"What's wrong with it Danny? I'm pretty sure Grace likes it too, right Grace?" Mia asked Grace who was looking through racks of dresses.

"Yes, this is one of my favorite songs Danno. I love One Direction," Grace said with a smile on her face.

"One who?" he asked looking from Grace to Mia.

"One Direction, _Danno_, you should really try to keep up with the current trends," Mia said smirking at Danny.

"Well excuse me but I prefer to stick to the classics," Danny defended.

Mia rolled her eyes and went to look around while Danny waited for Grace to try on the dresses she had picked out.

Danny had been waiting in a chair for about ten minutes now and Grace still had not come out. "Grace are you almost out? We got to go," he said looking at his watch and noticing he and Mia had to get to work.

"Almost Danno," he heard her reply.

The sales lady took in the fact that Danny was getting a bit restless so she decided to strike up a conversation with him. "You know you can always wait next door with the boba."

"The boba, I don't know what the boba is," Danny said to the sales lady and then hearing Mia snort from across the store at Danny's reply. "Is something funny Mia?"

Mia just smiled and shook her head no. At the same time Grace came out of the dressing room wearing a hot pink dress.

"Wow," Danny said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Do you like it Danno?" Grace asked her father.

"Like it? I love it Grace, it's perfect. I think this is the one," Danny said full of sincerity and happy at how beautiful his ten-year-old daughter looked. Then Grace placed a tender kiss on his father's cheek. "What was that for?" he asked her.

"Thank you for being my date Danno. I know how much you hate dancing," Grace said.

"I do not hate dancing. I love dancing," he told her.

"You look very pretty Gracie and I'm pretty sure you will be the most beautiful girl tonight," Mia said as she joined them.

"Thank you Mia."

Just then, Danny's cell phone started ringing at looking at the caller id he knew it was from work. He exchanged a look with Mia and then took the call. Mia understood what the call meant.

When Danny hanged up, he turned to look at Grace and took in her disappointed face. "Hey monkey, no need to worry okay? I promise I will take you to the dance tonight."

"Okay," she said in a small voice.

"Mia would you mind doing me a favor and taking Grace home?" he asked Mia, knowing she had brought her own car with her.

"Sure no problem, come on Grace," she said taking Grace's hand and leading her to the car.

* * *

Danny arrived at the crime scene and was greeted by Kono. "I take this wasn't a kid dropping Mentos into a soda pop," Danny dryly stated as he took in the burnt house.

"It wasn't a gas leak either," Kono said "A surfer saw an explosion and immediately called HPD."

Danny studied the area and saw Max placing burnt body parts on top of a sheet. "Look at this guy," he said pointing to Max, "he's liked a kid in a candy store."

Chin joined Kono and Danny and said, "He think it's the only victim but he has to put it back together to confirm it."

The three of them walked towards Max and Danny said to Max, "That's quite a puzzle you got there Max."

Max looked up at Danny holding up one leg and said, "They're very broken pieces. The body sustained exceptional impact so I need to confirm cause of death first or I can give you an idea before I complete the assembly."

Danny wasn't very keen of looking at the broken body. "Understandable," he told Max.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I am missing a right arm," he told the team as he looked around for the missing body part.

"Right behind you," Chin pointed to a spot behind Max.

The team then moved on and Danny asked Kono what else she had on the case, to which Kono said that the house was a rental and she had been trying to contact the owners but they were currently in Japan on a business trip. She had also found a cell phone and had already sent it in to the lab for processing.

Danny spotted Steve examining a few pieces of something Danny couldn't really picture what it was. "Hey, what's up?" Danny asked Steve motioning to what Steve was holding.

"Heard you went shopping for a dress," Steve said instead of telling Danny what he was holding.

"That's right," Danny said placing his hands in his pockets.

"Something I should know?" Steve asked with a laughing smile.

Danny leans his head in a bit in Steve's direction not clearly understanding what he meant. "Some- yeah to wear a dress," Danny said having figured out what Steve really meant. "What, you always go for something like a cheap shot?"

Steve shrugs and says in an attempt at nonchalance, "I'm just making sure you got something nice to wear, you know with a nice plunging neck that shows off that chubaka chest. What's the occasion?"

Danny rolled his eyes and answered Steve, "Yeah that's nice, it's a father daughter dance at Grace's school."

"Oh but you can't dance," Steve stated in an obvious tone which Danny clearly didn't take well.

"I can dance just fine I just choose not too," Danny defended.

Chin chuckled and said, "That's a smart move."

"Excuse me?"

"Did you forget I saw you dancing at my wedding brah?" Chin said.

"Yeah," Kono chimed in, "the over bug shuffle I remember."

This comment makes everyone in his team laugh instantly annoying Danny. "Is everybody done with their cute critiques?" he asks and then turns to Steve motioning once more to the object in Steve's hand. "What are you looking at?"

"A fragment from the explosive device," Steve says returning his attention to the device.

"Does that device have a name?" Danny asks.

"Danny you can't just walk into a bomb scene, grab any object, stick your finger in the air and expect it tells you what it is. This device is a high velocity peroxide explosive," Steve tells the team and then goes on to explain to them exactly what an explosive like that contains and how much damage it can do. He tells them how they are mostly found in the Middle East and Danny asks him what it is doing on the island. Steve doesn't know so they take off to investigate.

* * *

When they arrive at Max's office, Max explains what he found on the body and concludes that Steve's hypothesis was correct. Steve is afraid of what he's about to say because of the repercussions but he cannot take a chance of risking people's lives. He informs Max and Danny that they might be dealing with a terrorist attack.

On their way to headquarters, Steve decides to call Mia, hoping she can use her contacts to get the information she needs.

"Hey Steve, what's up?" Mia says when she answers the phone.

"Hey where are you?" Steve asks, having noticed he hasn't seen her all morning.

"I just left Rachel's home. I'm sorry I know I'm late but she invited me to stay for coffee and I didn't want to be rude, plus she's a nice lady. I like her," Mia says as she's driving down the highway.

Danny snorted at Mia's comment regarding his ex-wife.

"What were you doing at Rachel's?" Steve asks in confusion, giving his partner a brief glance.

"Danny didn't tell you? I went with him and Grace to shop for a dress and when he got a call from work he asked me to take Grace home but anyways I know that's not why you called. What's up?" she asked him.

"Why do you think something's up? Did you ever think for just _one_ second that I just called because I possibly can't live without you?" Steve asked.

"She's too smart for that," Danny is in between laughter.

"I already know that but I also know that you would not just call because you felt like you couldn't live without me, so tell me, what's going on?" Mia asked knowing there was more to Steve's call.

"Alright, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to use all your contacts and look up Kasim Ramzie," Steve said.

"What's your interest?" Mia asked memorizing the name and remembering she had heard about this person before.

"He's here," Steve simply stated.

"Here?"

"Well not really, he blew him self up," he clarified.

"Do you think this is part of a larger plot?" Mia asked arriving at headquarters and rushing to her office.

"I'm not sure yet but I've got the governor on standby. Listen Mia I need you to get me all the Intel you can on this guy asap."

"I just arrived at the office and I'll get on it right now," Mia said.

Steve hung up the phone and turned to Danny. "So are you going to tell me what's going on inside your head?"

Danny settles in his seat and says, "I am thinking about the fact that this is a very dangerous world we live in with a guy like Ramzie walking the streets of this world and I've got a beautiful daughter I have to protect."

Steve nods his head acknowledging what Danny is saying and says, "Yes you do and you're her father and you love her and you do everything you can to protect her."

Danny nods and says, "That's my point, too little too late."

Steve looks at Danny in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Danny answers, "I'm talking about the fact that Grace and every other kid is growing up in fortress America. Whether Grace knows it or not she will grow up with the threat of another possible attack to America."

Steve focuses on the road and states, "Don't you think you are being too dramatic Dannny?"

Danny shakes his head and says, "I am not being dramatic, absolutely not Steve."

About a two blocks away from headquarters, Steve and Danny receive a call from Kono saying she found a possible location for Feru and sends them the address saying they will meet them over there.

* * *

The team finds bombs in a house and discovers that schools, airport, and major places are targets of a possible attack. Steve discovers half of the explosives he found behind a wall missing and that may be used for an attack. On their way out, Mia arrives with the information Steve needs and shows them exactly who they are looking for, a man named Feru.

Chin locates the car the suspect is driving and realizes the car is located in the military leadership. Steve and Danny rush to that location and he tells Chin to contact the army bomb squad and notify them of a major terrorist event. Danny and Steve arrive as everyone is evacuating the area and they find the car parked in between all the other cars that belong to the people who attended the ceremony. They find the bomb in the trunk of the car and soon the army bomb squad arrives to disassemble it.

Steve and Danny find the rental where Feru is staying at and sit in the Camaro outside waiting for the suspect to arrive. While they wait, Danny tells Steve the story about his former partner in Newark and how the last ten years of his life have been borrowed time with his daughter because he wasn't supposed to be there. He was about to die in the hands of criminals.

Danny tells Steve about the time his former partner, Grace, and him went to check out a warehouse and how everything was going well until two men came from behind them pointing a gun in the back of their heads, tied them up, and beat him up trying to find out how Danny and Grace knew about their location.

Danny notices movement outside and stops his story.

Steve notices his partner stopped the story just when it was getting to the good part. "No, no Danny, you can't stop there," he says trying to get his partner's attention. "Hey you can't leave me hanging. Come on what happened next."

Danny distractedly tells him, "Hold on." Then he looks down at the passport he was holding in his hand and then up at the person getting closing and realizes that's their guy. "That's him that's Feru."

Steve gets confused for a second and asks his friend what he's talking about. Then he turns to where Danny is looking and sees a man.

"That's him, that's ferub," Danny says as he get's out of the car. "Five-O! Stay where you are!" Danny yellos after the suspect but once he sees Steve and Danny he takes off running, causing Danny and Steve to run after him.

Danny shoots Feru and once he's down, Danny kicks the suspect's gun away and puts his own gun away. When he sees something strange on the man's chest, Danny leans in to take a better look at it and realizes the man is wearing a bomb. Danny looks up and sees Steve running towards him.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Danny yells at his partner to prevent him from coming closer. "Steve, don't move."

"What is it?" Steve asks ignoring Danny and getting a bit closer to take in what has his partner paralyzed. Steve sees the bomb and the laser pointing at Danny's chest. He orders Danny not to move at all because any movement can cause the bomb to detonate and kill them both.

Danny tells Steve to get out of there and go tell Grace that he loves her, thinking this will be the last time he sees Steve. Steve refuses and tells Danny that when they got out of this one, Danny would be the one to tell Grace how much he loves her and he will keep his promise of taking her to the father daughter dance.

The bomb squad arrives on the scene and while they are studying the bomb and figuring out how to disassemble it, Steve makes Danny finish the story about his partner in order to get his attention focused somewhere else.

Danny tells Steve the rest of the story, including how his partner was shot to try to get Danny to reveal the snitch that revealed the location. Danny told the men that they were surrounded and the police would come in any second. He told Danny how he was bluffing the whole time, knowing Grace and him were the only ones there but suddenly sirens were heard in the distance, making his story believable to the criminals. When Danny was able to get away after killing all three men, he ran outside to ask for help but none of the cops were stopping to assist him. He followed the direction in which the cops and ambulance were going in and took in the fact that the World Trade Center had just been attacked.

When Danny finished the story, the specialist has also just finished disarming the bomb and tells Danny he can move now. Danny and Steve let out a nervous laugh, not believing they actually made it. Both men's eyes were red with unshed tears from pure relief and then they hug each other glad the other is doing just fine.

"I would invite you out for a beer or something but I've got somewhere I have to be," Danny said shaking from the nerves of what might have happened.

"Don't worry buddy, maybe next time," Steve said giving him a reassuring smile.

"Oh there won't be a next time," Danny said in a nervous laugh.

Steve laughed having realized what he just said. "Right, go on and get out of here." Steve watched his partner and best friend run out of there to get ready and pick up Grace. He had never been more relieved in his entire life. Steve had seriously thought this was it for him and Danny but someone was watching over them and helped them get out of this situation.

* * *

Mia had just gotten home after a long an exhausting day. She was glad nothing major had occurred and that everyone was safe and sound. She still had not seen Steve after he called her to tell her they had gotten Feru but Danny had shot him and killed him in the process.

Mia was enjoying a nice, long, and warm bath to help her relax when there was a pounding on her door. She got out and wrapped herself in a bathrobe to go check who could possibly be pounding at her door. Looking at the clock on the wall on top of her television, she saw it was eight at night. Before opening the door she checked who it was and noticed Steve was the one causing the entire ruckus. Mia opened the door just as Steve was getting ready to pound on her door once again.

"What's wrong?" she said taking in his troubled appearance. "Are you- "

Before Mia could finish her question, Steve stormed into her apartment, enveloped in a strong hold and kissed her with all his might as if it were the last time he would ever get to hold her. He placed both hands on her face kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

Mia was a bit taken aback by Steve's actions. She had never seen him this way. Something was wrong but she didn't know what.

"I love you so much, so, so much Mia," Steve said in between kisses as he ran his hands through her wet hair. "I was so afraid I would never see you again and not get the chance to tell you how much I love you." He captured her lips in another searing kiss.

"Steve," she said trying to catch her breath. "Babe what's going on? You're worrying me."

"I just need to hold you, please, just let me hold you," he begged her in a broken tone as he placed kisses all over her face and hugged her to him.

Mia hugged him back and let him just hold her while they stood by the door of her apartment. Then she felt Steve lift her up and carry her to her bedroom. He gently placed her down on the bed and then stood over her, taking her in, trying to memorize her completely. "Steve?" she said trying to get his attention but apparently he had other plans.

Steve slowly undid the knot of Mia's bathrobe and opened it to take in her beautifully toned body. Tonight he planned to make love to her like he'd never done so before and memorize every single inch of her beautiful body. Today's experience had left him feeling like he had to appreciate everything he had and he was going to start with Mia. He loved her like he'd never loved anyone before and the thought of not being able to see her again terrified him. He wanted to show her how much he loved her and tell her she was everything to him.

* * *

Later that night and fully awake, Mia laid in Steve's arms with her head on his chest listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She didn't understand what was going on inside Steve's head and he wouldn't tell her either. Earlier he'd made love to her like he never had before and she had felt it in every pore of her body. Something happened to trigger this reaction from Steve, not that she was complaining. She had enjoyed every minute of it but she was still worried about him.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Steve asked her in a very sleepy and tired voice.

"Can't sleep," she said turning on her side, where half of her body was on top of his left side and the other half on the mattress, to look up at him. "I'm worried about you."

Steve placed his left hand on her waist to bring her up closer to him and used his right hand to move her bangs away from her face. He kissed her once and then turned his gaze away, staring at the ceiling. "Danny and I were about to be blown up by a bomb Feru was wearing under his jacket," Steve said. "Danny had a laser pointed at his chest and if he moved just one inch, the bomb would detonate. I couldn't leave him there even if he told me several times to go. Standing there with Danny made me realize how our time on this planet is just borrowed, like he mentioned to me earlier. I realized that I could have possibly died today without telling you how much I love you and the thought of seeing not you again was something I do not want to experience ever again. I'm sorry for worrying you. I just needed to hold you and tell you how much you meant to me. I love you Mia. I don't want you to ever doubt that."

Mia had tears falling from her eyes as she listened to everything Steve was telling her. She couldn't believe how close Steve had come to dying and the thought of not seeing him again broke her heart in pieces. She didn't know how she would be able to survive if something ever happened to him. Mia looked into his eyes full of unshed tears and in a broken whisper she said, "I love you so, so much Steve and I know you love me too. I just can't imagine my life without you and I'm so glad that you are here with me."

Steve brought Mia's face down to him and kissed her. They made love through out the whole night, trying to satisfy each other's needs but not being able to get enough of each other. Steve and Mia were both happy nothing major had happened that day and that they were able to be in each other's arms once again.

**A/N: Thank you for reading. Not sure when the next post will be due to the holidays, but for some reason I am not able to post before, then I want to wish everyone a happy holiday and take this time to enjoy the time with your families.**

**P.S.  
What better gift than to see more people review. :)  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**A/N: I am so very sorry for the delayed update. I was very busy these last couple of weeks and I am barely catching up on a lot of messages, alerts, etc. I hope people are still reading. Again thank you for all the wonderful reviews, adding the story to your alerts, favorites. I receive a few comments regarding Catherine's role and I would like to make an update regarding her status. At the time I had written the chapter in which she leaves I had seriously thought of bringing her back but as I kept writing my story I realized she doesn't fit in my story line anymore so anyone who asked or commented on that part, don't worry she won't be back on this story. Anyways, I hope everyone had a great holiday, vacation, and New Year's my best wishes for everyone.  
**

The following day Steve woke up to find Mia on her right side hugging Steve's left arm. Steve tried to move his arm from Mia's grasp so trying to not wake her up he gently removed one hand and when his arm was free brought it around Mia placing it on her hip. He felt Mia snuggle in closer to him and heard let out a sigh. Steve placed a kiss on her head and just laid there enjoying the fact that it was a new day and another day he got to spend with Mia.

"You should be sleeping, taking advantage that we have the day off," Mia sleepily said as she ran her hand over Steve's chest and then placed a kiss on it.

Steve brought Mia closer to him, if possible. Running circles on her bare back he said, "Sleeping is so overrated. I've better ideas to enjoy this day we have off."

Mia raised her head to look at Steve with a dimpled smile and said, "Oh yeah? What ideas were you thinking about?"

"Well for one, it involves staying in bed," he said as he flipped her over onto her back and placed himself on top of her. "And two, getting my way with you."

"Hmmm," she moaned in response to his good morning kiss.

"There's more where that came from," Steve promised pressing himself against Mia letting her know how much he wanted her.

"Well I certainly hope you keep your word Commander McGarret," she whispered in a husky tone as she wrapped her legs around him urging him to do something.

"I certainly plan to Special Agent Summers," he whispered back as he brought the sheet over them and did good on his word.

* * *

Two days later Steve found himself waiting by the luggage claim for his sister Mary Ann who he had called a few days ago telling her he had something important to tell her but it couldn't be over the phone. Steve planned on telling Mary that their mother Doris was alive. He wasn't sure how she was going to take the news since Mary had barely been two years old when their mother had supposedly passed away, a time when she needed her the most.

Steve finally spotted Mary but she wasn't alone.

"Mary, please tell me you didn't marry him," Steve asked hoping Mary hadn't gone off and done something stupid like marrying a man who was old enough to be her great grandfather.

MaryAnn looked at Steve like he was crazy. "Ew, of course not," she said in disgust at his brother for thinking she would do such thing. "I mean it's not like he hasn't asked, because he has been asking since we met."

Steve stared into his sister's eyes as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Why is he here?"

"Because I can't leave him," she simply answered.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked confused.

Mary shrugged her shoulders and answered in a noncommittal way, "I'm his caregiver."

Steve leaned in and asked Mary in an unbelieving tone, "Excuse me, did you just say you're his caregiver?"

MaryAnn avoided Steve's gaze. "Yeah the uh, the flight attendant thing didn't work out so well. Steve listen I really think this could be my true calling. I really like taking care of people," Mary responded looking up at his brother.

"That's funny Mary because you can barely take care of yourself," Steve said and then sees the man in the wheelchair slap Mary's butt. Unbelievable, he thought glaring at the man.

"We take really care of each other don't we?" she said looking at Marty, the old man. "Marty do you remember our conversation about professional boundaries?"

Mary seems to be thinking this through and then shakes his head. "Memories aren't so good," he sais pointing at his head.

Steve gave Marty a menacing look and said, "How about, Marty, you touch my sister like that again and I'll break your hand. Can you remember that?"

The man smiles at Steve and says to Mary, "Well he's certainly like you described him, all Navy SEAL."

Steve is slowly becoming exasperated with this man. "Okay why is he here again?" he asks not really expecting an answer. Turning to Mary he gets serious and says, "Mary we really need to talk, in private."

MaryAnn nods and turns to Marty to tell him to turn off his hearing aid so that Steve and she can have a private conversation. Then she turns to Steve and with a raised eyebrow she asks him, "So what's so important you have to talk to me in private and you can't tell me over the phone?"

"It's about mom," he says in a voice that portrays the seriousness of the topic.

"Mom?" she asks confusion written all over her face.

Steve nods and then leads Mary and the old man into a more secluded sitting area where surprisingly and thankfully it's empty. "Listen Mary, what I'm about to tell you is very important and I need you to just hear me out. Okay?"

Mary nods.

"Mary, mom, mom is not dead," he says pausing for a second to let that sink in.

Mary appears to be thinking about it and then laughs. "Seriously, Steve, I know you've always had issues accepting mom's death but come on. I was there the day she was buried, remember?"

Steve sighs as he places his hands on his hips and briefly looks away.

Mary sees Steve serious about what he's talking about and gives a nervous laugh not wanting to believe his brother is saying the truth. "You are serious?" she asks weakly.

Steve turns to look at his sister and can see the mix of emotions crossing her troubled look. "Mary, mom faked her own death to protect us."

Mary sank on the chair behind her as she placed a hand on her forehead. "To protect us, protect us from what?" she asked looking up at him with unshed tears in her eyes.

Steve sat down next to Mary and took her hand in his as he explained everything his mother had told him the day he found her hiding in Japan. He explained from the way she asked Joe to help her fake her own death to why she did it and how she'd been running all these years and how she was Shelburne.

"I just, I just can't believe it," Mary said in disbelief as she stood up and began pacing. "I mean did she even realize all the damaged she caused. Our father is dead because of her! Dad thought she was dead and he sacrificed so many years searching for her killer. He got killed because of her!"

Steve was torn at seeing his sister so broken and the tears running down her cheeks. He stood up to hug her to him but Mary fought him off.

"Everything that's happened is her fault! Our family was destroyed because she _'thought she was doing the right thing'_," Mary cried.

"Mary, I understand your pain. I'm just as furious as you are but she's our mother and the least we can do is giving her the benefit of the doubt," Steve said trying to calm Mary down.

She looked at Steve like he had lost his mind. "Are you kidding me?" she asked incredulously. "Are you telling me you've forgiven her? How could you just forget everything that's happened because of her?"

"I never said I forgave her, Mary," Steve said trying to reason with Mary but he knew it was futile. Mary didn't look like she would forgive their mother anytime soon. "She wants to see you."

Mary stopped pacing and looked at Steve as she wiped the tears from her face. "Is she serious?"

Steve nodded.

"Well too bad because I want nothing to do with that woman. Damn Steve, I don't even remember her. I don't know who she is or how she looks. I was two years old! She was never there. The only parent I ever knew was our father and even then, he shipped us away, but at least I still have his face in here," she said pointing to her head. "He was the only one there besides you so if I didn't need that woman then I definitely don't need her now. You can tell her she could back to where she came from for all I care but I don't want her anywhere near me."

"Mary," Steve said in an attempt to try to convince his sister.

"I'm serious Steve," Mary said deadpan as she grabbed the handles from Marty's wheelchair and took off towards the exit.

* * *

Steve arrived at his house without Mary knowing his mother was going to be extremely upset and hurt that Mary wanted nothing to do with her. As he explained to her that Mary didn't want to see her and asked Doris to give her some time and space to think things through, Doris insisted that she would track Mary down to try and explain her reasons for doing what she did. Steve was trying to convince his mother to leave Mary alone for now when he received a call from work and he had to take off.

* * *

When Steve arrives at the crime scene, Chin fills him in on what they are dealing with. A family of four had just picked up their son who was released from juvenile detention when they were intercepted by another vehicle and their son was kidnapped. According to the father, they were just following the instructions on the GPS but when they noticed they were in unfamiliar grounds it was too late.

"Why was he in detention?" Steve asked.

"According the father, he was arrested for logging into the White House data base to get tickets to the correspondence dinner. They wanted to make an example out of him so he was given a six month sentence," Mia replied.

"It might be possible that the GPS was hacked so I had Charlie take it in to check it out," Chin said.

Kono notices the youngest son is in the back of an HPD vehicle and as she approaches him she notices he's furiously typing the same thing over and over on his tablet. Kono asks the boy if she can see what he's typing and sees what appears to be a license plate on it.

"Hey guys, I think I've got something," she says as she shows them the letters and numbers she wrote on a piece of paper. "License plates."

"654 TZE," she says as she types them into her own table to track down the vehicle which also showed it was reported stolen earlier. "Found it."

"Okay, you and Chin go on ahead and check that out," Steve orders and Kono simply nods and takes of in her car with Chin.

When Chin and Kono arrive at their location they find the teen dead in the back of the van.

Steve and Danny visit Max and he tells them the seventeen year-old's cause of death was cardiac arrest. He suffered from a history of arrhythmia and the kid was tortured causing the cardiac arrest. CPR was using to try and revive him explaining the bruises found on his chest. Steve and Danny concluded the kidnappers' plans were never to kill the teen but apparently they didn't count on him having heart problems.

Meanwhile back in the office, Kono found a locked file that was uploaded in a storage site by their victim. She shares the information with Chin and he concludes that the kidnappers wanted something from their victim and it was probably the code to unlock the file they found.

They arrive at headquarters where everyone was already gathered around the table.

"What have we got?" Steve asked.

"Well we have the visitors log and the only people who ever visited him were his mother and someone by the name of Kong Liang, the guards also said he was a model prisoner, and other than a shouting match with this Kong Liang person," Chin said. He also explains what Kono found and how they think that is what the kidnappers were after. Kono also told them they have been trying to decipher the code but still had nothing.

"Kong Liang is wanted by the FBI," Mia said remembering the case one of her colleagues in New York worked on.

"For what?" Danny asked.

"He's a cyber criminal wanted for banking Trojan, scare ware, identity theft etc. You name it, he's done it," Mia offered as a form of explanation.

"Why isn't this man in prison?" Steve asked.

"The FBI has been forming a case against him but he has hackers covering his trails. Word is he runs his business like a sweat shop, recruiting computer experts from around the world," she said looking at Steve.

"How do you know this?" Steve asked her.

"One of my colleagues worked on this case while I was still in New York," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Steve nodded.

"That would explain the prison visit," Danny concluded.

"Yeah," Steve said. "So where can we find him?"

"HPD has no lead on him," Chin said. "He's like a ghost."

"No problem, I know someone," Danny said earning questioning looks from everyone in the room but he ignored them as he led Steve to the exit.

Danny and Steve were halfway out when Steve remembered something. "Hold on Danny, I forgot to tell Mia something."

Danny nodded and followed Steve back into the office.

* * *

Mia was in the bullpen trying to help Kono decipher the code they needed but nothing they tried worked and both were becoming extremely frustrated. They heard movement from the entrance and turned to see Steve and Danny walking in but as soon as Mia turned to look at them she felt the floor shift beneath her.

Steve saw Mia and Kono on the computer and when they heard he and Danny enter, they turned but he saw Mia sway and about to lose her balance so he hurried to her side just in time to hold her.

"Whoa, that was close. Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, I think I just turned too fast," she said waving him off as she turned back to the computer.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should sit down," he suggested.

"I said I'm fine Steve," she snapped missing the looks that were exchanged between Danny, Kono, and Steve as she placed both hands on the computer and leaned on them trying to focus on what she was doing.

"Okay," Danny said trying to ease the tension. "So any luck with that code?"

"None, I think I'm going to pay a visit to the victim's family and see if I find anything," Kono said.

"Sounds good," Steve said nodding, with his hands on his hips staring at the back of Mia's head.

"How about I join you?" Mia said turning to look at Kono.

"Actually, there's something I need you to do," Steve said.

Mia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her as she turned to look at Steve. "Of course there is. What do you need me to do?"

Steve motioned for Mia to follow him to his office.

Once inside, Steve studied Mia for a minute to try and figure out if she was mad at him or what her deal was. He didn't remember upsetting her in the last twenty-four hours or forgetting an important date. He concluded that the only way to figure out what was wrong was to ask her directly.

"Hey," he started softly, "are you mad at me?"

Mia shrugged her shoulders. "No, why, should I be mad at you?" she asked full of attitude.

Steve sighed as he placed one hand on his hip and scratched his eyebrow with the other. "No, that's why I am asking. I get the feeling something is bothering you and you're taking it out on me but as long as I remember, we haven't had a single argument in the last twenty-four hours, the whole week in fact."

Mia sighed and dropped herself onto Steve's couch. "I'm not mad. I'm sorry I just I guess I was just frustrated because we haven't been able to decipher the stupid code."

Steve nodded. "Understandable, but don't let it get to you. We'll figure it out," he said joining her on the couch and placing her hand in his.

"So what did you need me to do?" she asked leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment.

"Mary is on the island," he stated, running imaginary fingers on her thumb.

"Really?" she asked raising her head and turning sideways to look at him. "Did you tell her about your mom?"

"Yeah, but she didn't take it too well," Steve said.

"Well I guess that was expected. What did she say?"

"She doesn't want to see her. She said that if she didn't need her then, she certainly doesn't need her now."

"Wow," Mia said understanding where Mary Ann was coming from. "I guess Doris didn't take that one too well?"

"You guessed right," he said nodding in affirmation.

"Maybe she just needs time to take in the whole thing."

"Yeah that's what I told my mother but she was stubborn about it saying she was going to look for Mary herself."

"Hey doesn't that remind you of someone?"

"No, who?" he asked.

"Really Steve?" she asked with a roll of her beautiful hazel eyes. "You and your mother are equally stubborn that's why you butt heads all the time."

"You don't know what you're saying," he said standing up. "But anyways, I need you to call my mother and try to get her to give Mary some space."

"Me? What makes you think she'll listen to me?" she asked confused.

"My mother likes you. She sees you as if you were her daughter. Maybe if she hears your perspective she'll back off and give Mary time to process everything," he said looking at her.

Mia stood up in front of Steve and crossed her arms. "On one condition," she said.

Steve mimicked Mia's actions and raised an eyebrow in question. "Which is?"

"You have to introduce me to Mary. I know she probably won't remember me but I remember her and I really want to see her all grown up."

Steve smiled and leaned down to place a small kiss on Mia's smiling lips. "Deal," he said smiling down at her.

"Cool," she said nodding. "I guess I'll go see what Doris is doing. Just call me if you guys need me and don't leave me out of all the action."

"Will do," he said as he watched her walk out of his office and saw Danny walking towards his office.

"Bye Danny," she said on her way out.

Danny walked into Steve's office with a curious look pointing a thumb in the direction in which Mia just walked in. "I take it you two kissed and made up? What exactly did you u do to get her mad at you?"

"I didn't get her mad Dan. She was just frustrated with the whole code thing," he said waving around in general as he sorted through some papers on his desk.

"Right, so where did she go?"

"To talk to my mother," he said having found what he was looking for and walking towards the bullpen.

"That's it? You're not going to tell me why she's going to talk to your mother?" he asked as he followed after Steve.

"Mary is back on the island and she doesn't want to see my mother so when I told her that, Doris being Doris said she would look for Mary. I tried to get her to understand that Mary needed time but she said she already wasted enough of that so now Mia is going to try and convince her."

"I see," Danny said truly seeing what Steve meant and didn't comment further on the topic as they continued with the case.

* * *

"Hello, anybody home?" Mia asked as she let herself in with the key Steve had given her.

"In the kitchen," she heard Doris say.

Mia walked into the kitchen and saw Doris sitting on a stool leaning on the island drinking what she assumed to be coffee.

"Hey Doris," she said placing a kiss on the other woman's cheek.

"Did Steve send you?" Doris asked already knowing why Mia was there.

"Can't I just come see you because I want to?" Mia asked pretending to be hurt.

"Of course you can and you know it but I also know that you know Mary doesn't want to see me so now he sent you to try to convince me to not go after her. Well sorry he made you waste your time Mimi, but she's my daughter and I want to see her," Doris said matter of fact.

"But she doesn't want to see you Doris. Put your self in her shoes for a minute and look at the situation from her eyes," Mia said sitting on the stool next to Doris. "Mary was just a baby, barely two when she thought she'd lost her mother forever. She doesn't even remember you so she probably doesn't even know the difference between you being dead or alive. I'm sorry if I'm sounding too harsh but it's the truth. Mary grew up without a mother and I can understand where she's coming from on that part because I practically grew up without one too but she did grow up with a father. The only parent she ever knew was John and with everything that has happened in the last three years, with John's death, she's probably more confused than ever."

"She's my daughter Mia. I wasted too many years thinking I was doing the right thing and I won't waste any more time. When she sees me and hears my side of the story then she can decide what to do with it and if she decides she wants nothing from me then I'll leave her alone," Doris finished wiping the tears from her eyes. "I love her and I need to see her."

Mia was heartbroken for Doris and Mary and the situation the McGarret's were currently going through. "Alright, just please don't pressure her," Mia suggested.

Doris nodded and then turned to look at Mia. She really looked at her this time and noticed how pale Mia was. "Sweetheart, are you feeling alright? You look a little too pale," Doris said placing a hand on her face to check for a fever.

"I'm fine. I think maybe I'm coming down with something or something I ate," Mia said dismissing Doris' worried look.

"You don't feel like you have a fever," she said.

"Don't worry Doris. It's probably nothing," she said standing up. "Listen; just think carefully what you're going to do."

"Don't worry, I will and you take care of yourself."

Mia nodded, hugged Doris goodbye and left the McGarret household.

* * *

While Mia was driving back to headquarters, Steve called her and requested that she join them at the building used by the hacker they were looking for.

It turned out Danny asked an old buddy to go undercover to infiltrate himself in the hacker's business and the team was needed for back-up in case something went wrong.

Mia arrived shortly after and waited on one side with Chin since Kono was at the victim's house.

"Hey, you alright? You don't look too good," Chin said taking in Mia's pale demeanor.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? For the millionth time, I'm fine," Mia said in an exasperated tone.

"Sorry," Chin sheepishly said.

Mia just nodded and focused on the task at hand, waiting for their cue.

As expected, their buddy chickened out at the last minute and ran out of the building leaving the team no choice but to go in. Once inside Mia realized that maybe everyone was right and she wasn't doing so well.

"What is that smell?" She said sniffing around and taking in the smell of blood and sweat from the beating the hacker gave the man before they came in mixed with tobacco.

"What, the tobacco?" Danny asked.

"Mia, you alright?" Steve asked while he was pointing a gun at their suspect and taking in Mia's demeanor.

"I, I don't think so," she said as she ran out of the building with her hand covering her mouth.

"Chin, Danny, take him in. I'll go check on Mia," he said running after Mia.

When Steve got outside, he looked on both sides for Mia but he didn't see her until he heard gagging noises from the other side of a dumpster. He walked over just as she was done being sick and starting to walk in his direction looking extremely pale.

"Hey," he said hugging her to him. "What happened? Are you getting sick?"

Mia shook her head against his chest. "I don't know. You didn't smell it? It smelled horrible in there."

"It wasn't that bad. You've been inside buildings that smell much worse and haven't gotten sick over it," Steve said.

"I know," she said pulling away. "It was probably something I ate."

"Yeah probably," he agreed. "But just in case I'll drop you off at your place so you rest and I'll come by later to check on you. I'm taking you off the case until you feel better."

"Steve, I'm fine. You don't have to do that," she said walking towards her car.

"Mia, you know how dangerous it is to work a case when you're not in full capability. Now this is me talking as your boss, you're going home and that's final," he said very determined. "Now give me your keys so I cam drive you home."

Mia knew Steve was right and she really didn't feel that well so she conceded and gave Steve the keys and got into the passenger side of the car.

* * *

That night after the team rescued Kono from the kidnappers, Steve stopped by a local diner to grab some warm chicken soup to see if Mia was able to keep that down and then drove straight to her apartment. When he got there, Steve let himself into Mia's apartment and placed the take-out on the kitchen island before going to check on Mia.

Steve walked into Mia's room and noticed she had fallen asleep with the TV. on mute. He walked towards the bed and sat on the edge of her side as he ran a hand over her head and placed a small kiss on her temple. He didn't feel her face hot so she probably didn't have a fever. Sitting there, taking her in, he couldn't help but think how lucky he'd been when Mia decided to give him a second chance. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice when Mia opened her eyes.

"You're going to creep me out if you keep staring at me like that," he heard her say in a sleepy voice, snapping him out of his trance.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking," he said with a small smile.

"Yeah I gathered that much," Mia said as she sat up and leaned against the headboard extending her arms for Steve to come closer.

Steve smiled and moved to sit next to Mia against the headboard and placed his arm around her shoulder to bring her closer to him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Much better now that you're here," she said leaning her head against his chest.

Steve let out a small laugh. "Have you tried eating something?"

"All I managed to keep down was an apple," she said.

"That's it?" he asked in surprise. "Babe you've got to eat more than an apple. Good thing I stopped by a diner and brought you something."

"I'm really not hungry Steve," Mia said lifting her head up to look into Steve's eyes.

"You've got to eat something. I'm not taking no for an answer," he said lifting an eyebrow at her daring her to contradict him.

Mia and Steve stared into each other's eyes for a minute until Mia suddenly came up with an idea to distract Steve. Giving him a bright smile, she moved closer and placed a small kiss on the corner of his mouth as she slowly ran a finger up his leg and continued placing kisses on his face and his neck.

"Mia, I know what you're trying to do," he said smiling at her antics.

"Really? Well then, why don't you help me out here," she whispered seductively against his ear, tracing kisses down his face until she reached his mouth and when she saw he was about to say something, she captured his lips in a burning kiss. Mia felt Steve respond to her kiss and decided to bring it up another notch as she moved on top of him and straddled him and rand her hands wildly through his hair.

"Mmm, Mia," Steve said in a gruff voice, breaking the kiss when he felt her hands slide under his t-shirt but obviously Mia had other plans as she continued her assault by kissing his neck and biting into it eliciting a moan from Steve. "God Mia, come on that's not fair. You're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" she whispered against his lips.

"I'm sorry Mia, but I'm not giving you what you want until you eat," he said placing his hands on her hips and moving her away so he could stand up.

"You're no fun McGarret. I already said I was feeling much better and I'm not hungry," she said in frustration as she sat there in the middle of the bed flushed and with her hair tousled.

"Yeah well you need something in your stomach either way and a little bit of chicken soup will help," he said and walked out of the room before she refused or decided to distract him once more.

Once in the kitchen, Steve used the sink and his hands to run cold water on his face to hopefully help cool him down.

"You know, you don't have to do that. I could have easily taken care of the problem," Mia said as she leaned on the other side of the island, opposite of Steve giving him a teasing smirk.

"I love you Mia, but sometimes you're so frustrating," Steve said as he avoided her gaze and reheated the food.

Mia didn't know what it was but Steve's comment had irked her. "Then if I'm so frustrating, what are you doing here Steve. No one made you come," Mia snapped.

"Whoa, I didn't say it to get you upset," Steve said in surprise at Mia's snap.

"Then why did you even say it," Mia countered but before Steve said anything she continued. "No one asked you to come after work and bring me food. I can take care of myself. I've done it my whole life."

"You're right, no one asked me to come but I came because I wanted to. I was worried about my girlfriend being sick and wanted to check on her," Steve shot back glaring at Mia and not understanding where her outburst was coming from. "Where is all this coming from? Is this just because I refused to have sex with you?"

"Not everything is about sex Steve," she replied harshly. "You know maybe you should just go home."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked surprised. "You want me to go home?"

"I think it's the best right now. We both need to cool down and besides; your mom needs you with everything that's going on with MaryAnn."

"And you don't need me?"

"I can take care of my self Steve," she said in exasperation.

"So you've said," Steve said his good mood completely gone. Throwing the dish towel he'd used to dry his face on the counter and grabbing his phone he walked to the door and said, "Goodnight Mia. Call me if you need anything."

Mia watched as he walked out and slammed the door behind him. She let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through her tangled hair. She knew she'd treated Steve unfairly but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop her tongue and now Steve was mad at her, great.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for your patience and don't forget to review :)**

**P.S. I just noticed my story was added to a Community Forum. I'm not quite sure how that works, I'm still trying to figure out my way around the whole thing but thank you to for posting it there. Hopefully it means that more people will find out about this story.  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Not much to say this time except big thank you's to everyone who is reading, commenting, alerting, favoriting (I don't think that's an actual word but you get what I mean lol). Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 22**

Mia and Steve were the last to arrive at Kelly's birthday bash due to Mia's indecision on what to wear. Steve noticed that lately Mia would seem distracted and when he asked her about it she snapped at him taking him by surprise every time. Then last night she literally kicked him out of her apartment for the second time that week, saying she just wanted to be alone. This morning she called him sobbing that she was sorry for the way she had been treating him lately that maybe she was just stressed over all the work they've had lately. Steve was beginning to worry about Mia and her constant mood swings. He just didn't know how to broach the subject that maybe she should see a doctor afraid that he might set her off again.

"You guys are the last to arrive," Jake chided as he greeted them.

"Blame Mia, she took hours to pick something to wear," Steve said in a playful tone but apparently Mia didn't find it the least bit amusing.

"Yeah well you're a guy; you just have to grab pants and a shirt. Guys don't care about how they look," Mia stated annoyed. "Where's Savi?"

"Umm, she-"

"Never mind, I see her," she said interrupting Jake and took off in her friend's direction.

"Did you guys have a fight?" Jake asked giving Steve an amused look.

"No, that's how she's been the last two weeks," Steve sullenly answered looking in Mia's direction.

"Weird."

"Tell me about it," he snorted.

"About time," Savi said hugging her friend.

"Don't start on me you too," Mia warned.

"Geez, are you feeling okay?" Savi asked raising an eyebrow at Mia.

"I don't know. I just feel like shit. I don't know what's wrong with me," Mia whispered on the verge of tears.

"Aww, come here let's go inside. Help me grab some things while you tell me what's wrong," Savi offered leading Mia into the house towards the kitchen.

* * *

Once inside Mia couldn't stop the few tears that escaped her eyes. "I feel bad dumping this on you today of all days. It's Kelly's birthday."

"Hey we're best friends. You know it doesn't matter when or where or what time, if you need me I'll be here ready to listen," Savi assured Mia as she squeezed her hand.

"I just, lately all I seem to feel is anger or annoyance toward everything and anything. Then once I realize what or who I took it out on I start weeping like a baby," Mia explained to her friend. "Do you think maybe I'm going crazy? Or maybe I could be bipolar."

Looking at her friend and noticing that she was being serious about the last part, Savi couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously? If you keep going on like that, I just might agree with you on the part of being crazy. But listen, I just think you're going through different mood swings maybe due to depression. Maybe you just miss your friends and your place in New York since you did live there all these years and you're barely starting to feel it. Or you could be hormonal causing all these mood swings which usually are a result of you being-" Savanna suddenly stopped and quickly looked up into Mia's eyes.

"What? Me being what?" she asked anxiously.

Savi lowered her voice to almost a whisper and told Mia, "I'm going to ask you a personal question and I need you to answer me as truthfully as possible."

Mia nodded and said, "Sure, what is it?"

"Mia, are you and Steve sleeping together? You know doing the," Savi motioned with her hands and Mia let out a small laugh.

"Geez Savi what does that have to do with anything? And to answer your question, yes, I mean who can resist that man," they giggled like school girls but Savi quickly sobered.

"Are you-"

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you," Steve interrupted as he found Mia and Savanna in the kitchen.

The girls jumped at hearing Steve's voice and Mia quickly wiped her cheeks making sure no more tears had escaped. Looking at Savi for confirmation, her friend nodded, and then Mia turned to face Steve.

"We were just talking and lost track of time," Mia said.

Steve noticed Mia's eyes were a bit red but he decided not to comment on it right now, afraid she might snap. He also noticed how Savi kept looking back and forth at Mia and him as if she were studying him. "Everything alright Savi?"

Savi dropped her eyes and said, "Yeah, I'll just take these plates outside."

"What's up with her," Steve said pointing over his shoulder in the direction Savi had left.

"Nothing why?"

"Never mind, come on let's go enjoy the party," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her outside towards where the rest of the team were at.

* * *

The party was in full swing. Everyone was enjoying themselves especially the kids. Savanna had gone all out, making sure nothing was missing. The baby Minnie Mouse decoration was beautiful. There was a lot of food, dessert, and treats as well as games. There was even face painting that the adults couldn't stay away from either. Everyone had at least some sort of art done on their face.

During one of the walks Mia did circulating the party, she overheard one of the guests ask the other guest how far along she was in her pregnancy and if she was experiencing any mood swings. Hearing this Mia froze. She finally realized what Savi was trying to figure out. Mood swings. Hormonal. They could all mean one thing only. She looked up as if sensing her and instantly locked eyes with Savanna who was staring at her across the backyard. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. Mia felt like she was going to be sick.

"Miss, are you alright? You look like you're about to pass out," one of the guests said as they noticed her pale face.

"I'm fine, excuse me," she whispered as she quickly walked towards the house and to the nearest bathroom.

"Mia, are you alright?" she heard Savi call after her but Mia couldn't stop; she was going to be sick. She found the door and after knocking to make sure no one was in there she went in and locked the door. Not even a second later she was on her knees bent over the toilet as she let it all out. Two minutes later, Mia was exhausted as she flushed the toilet and sat on the cold tile leaning against the cold wall. She couldn't believe what was happening, she thought as she cried in disbelief.

"Mia open the door, it's me, Savi," her friend pleaded her voice full of concern.

"Just a second," Mia said as she slowly got up and washed her face with cold water. Then she unlocked the door and opened it only enough to let Savi go through and then she closed it and locked it again as she leaned her forehead against the cold door. "Savi this can't be happening and you know that. You were there, I can't be pregnant," Mia said as she choked on her sobs and slid to the floor.

Savanna didn't know what to say to her friend as she got down on the floor and embraced her friend. It pained her to see Mia like this and she was right, there was no way Mia could ever have kids again, the doctor had said that but there was only one way to find out.

"Mia listen, there's only one way to find out. Wait for me right here. I'll be back in a minute or two."

"Where are you going?" Mia asked as she looked at Savi.

"Just wait, I'll be back."

Mia nodded and watched as her friend left. A few minutes later Savi was back with something in her hands. "What's that?" Mia asked pointing to the box in Savi's hands.

"It's a pregnancy test. I keep an extra one around just in case," Savi shrugged as she explained. "Here, use it, just pee on it and let it stand for a few minutes. If it's a plus then it's positive and if it's a minus then you're not pregnant. I'll be right outside the door."

Mia took the box in her nervous hands as she watched Savi leave once again. She locked the door and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself.

A few minutes later Mia let Savi back in. She didn't want to wait by herself. She was scared of what the results might be. They had to wait for fifteen minutes and as they waited they paced the length of the bathroom. "Maybe we're just being paranoid and I'm not pregnant. I'm probably just going crazy like I told you or I'm depressed like you said."

"We'll just have to wait and find out," Savi told her friend. "But seriously Mia, haven't you and Steve ever heard of protection? I mean don't get me wrong, this would be like some sort of miracle if you were pregnant because I know how much you've always loved kids."

Mia blushed profusely giving her rather pale face some sort of color. "We just forgot Savi. I mean, I guess we just get lost in each other that everything else goes out the window."

Savi snorted in response and looked at her watch. "Ok it's time."

Mia was really nervous about the results. "I don't think I can look at it."

Savi sighed as she grabbed the stick and looked at it and laughed.

"What's so funny? I don't think this situation is funny in any way Savanna."

"Yeah well you should have thought about it before you and Steve decided to act like sex starved monkeys. It's like déjà vu. I feel like we lived this already. Oh wait, _we did_, when you were fifteen," Savi said but suddenly she got choked up on the last part as she took in the results. "Oh my god, Mia."

"What, what is it?"

"You're pregnant," Savi whispered as she kept staring at the test results.

"Let me see that," Mia said as she took the stick from Savi's shaking hands. "Oh my god, but how, this can't be right."

"I'm afraid it is," Savi whispered.

"I'm pregnant," Mia whispered back in disbelief as a fresh batch of tears fell from her eyes.

"If you want on Monday we'll go to the doctors to be 100% sure. I'll pick you up around noon," Savi offered and Mia nodded in acceptance still in a daze from what she just found out.

"What am I going to do Savi? Steve and I have barely been together again for a month or so and I'm already pregnant. This is all going on so fast," Mia said.

"Hey if he was man enough to get you pregnant then he's going have to be man enough to take responsibility and if he doesn't then Jake and I will kick his ass," Savi said half joking, half serious.

"I have to tell Steve but not until the doctor confirms it. I want to be completely positive the results are true and not get anyone's hopes up," Mia said looking at Savi and seeing understanding in her best friend's eyes.

"Alright, that's you're decision."

Mia nodded and said, "Thank you so much for everything Savi."

"Hey that's what friends are for. Now clean up so we can get back to the party. We've been gone long enough and if we don't go out there Jake and Steve will probably send an army out looking for us."

"Yeah you're right, go on I'll catch up once I'm done."

"Are you sure?"

Mia nodded and then Savi left.

* * *

Around eight Mia and Steve decided to leave and the majority of the guests had already left. On the ride home Steve noticed Mia was unusually quiet.

"Hey, are you alright?" Steve asked as he stole a glance in her direction.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said looking out the window.

Steve reached out to take her hand in his but Mia still did not look at him. "Do you want to spend the night at my place or do you want me to stay at yours?"

"I think you should just drop me off at my place," she said as she removed her hand from his to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Steve sighed as he placed his hand back on the wheel. He wanted to know what was wrong with Mia but he didn't know how to ask her. "Mia, are you upset with me? Did I do or say something to make you react this way?"

Yeah you could have possibly done the impossible, gotten me pregnant, she thought but instead told him, "You haven't done or said anything. I just don't think I'm good company right now. I'm really tired."

Steve wasn't buying it. He pulled up outside her building, shut down the truck, took off his seatbelt and turned to look at her. "Then why haven't you looked at me. The whole day I've felt like you've been avoiding me. You disappeared from the party a couple of times and all those times when you came back it seemed to me like you had been crying," he paused as he took a deep breath to ask her his next question. "Are you regretting being with me? If you are, you need to tell me Mia."

Mia quickly turned to look into his eyes and saw the hurt in them. He really thought she regretted being with him. Mia took off her seat belt as she leaned as close to him as she could due to the cup holder in the middle. She placed both hands on his face and told him, "I don't want you to ever think I regret being with you. I love you Steve and you make me so happy."

"Then why do I feel like you're pushing me away?" he whispered.

"I'm not pushing you away. I just have a lot on my mind right now but I promise that I will talk to you as soon as I figure out things but I promise you it has nothing to do with how I feel about you because my feelings for you have not changed Steve. I love you so much. Just give me a few days."

Steve leaned in a placed a small kiss on her lips and said, "I don't like not knowing what's going on with you but I'll respect your wishes and wait until you're ready to talk."

Mia nodded as she whispered, "Thank you," and kissed him one more time before she got out of the truck and walked into the building.

* * *

On Monday around noon Mia had disappeared just telling Danny that she was going to run a quick errand. Steve found it strange and he thought that she told Danny specifically to avoid Steve's questions. On the other hand he was glad Mia was out of the office because today was the day he was going to confront the man that had been lying to Mia all these years. Steve had called Peter demanding that he be in his office Monday saying he already knew who he was and that the conversation they were about to have was better to be had in person. When Steve got back from a quick trip to the restroom, Danny informed him that his visitor had arrived and was waiting in his office.

"I'm glad you decided to make this easier for both of us," Steve said as he walked into his office and closed the door behind him. "Welcome back to Hawaii Mr. Donovan or should I say, _Mr. Summers_?"

"Cut the crap McGarret and tell me what you want. You obviously already know who I am so why don't we get to the point and tell me exactly why you made me fly all the way to Hawaii," Peter stated looking Steve in the eye.

"I made you come all this way so you could be the one to tell your _daughter_ the truth about your self," Steve said pointing a finger in Peter's direction.

Peter laughed and shook his head. "I am not telling her anything. If she's going to find out the truth it's going to be from you or someone else, because I'm not saying anything. I'm not stupid Steve."

Steve was disgusted by the man standing in front of him. "Tell me something _Peter Summers_, how did you manage to get Mia to trust you?"

"I didn't have to do much. She trusts people easily, a little too easily if you ask me. I mean, she trusted you didn't she? And she trusted you again after everything you put her through. Personally, I would have killed you with my bare hands the moment I heard she was pregnant at fifteen, fifteen!" Peter emphasized giving Steve a disgusted look.

"Why did you lie to her? Why would you present yourself as someone else instead of telling her the truth?" Steve demanded ignoring Peter's blow.

"You think I'm stupid McGarret? The minute I told Mia I was her father, the man who walked out on her and her mother, she would turn her back on me and push me as far away as possible. I don't want that and you don't either, unless you want to see the look of disappointment in her face directed at you for knowing about this and not telling her right after you found out," Peter said in a sniping tone.

Steve grabbed Peter from the collar of the black suit he was wearing and pushed him on top of his desk as Steve pushed him down from the collar pushing things off his desk in the process. "Listen to me you son of a bitch. I tried telling Mia the truth but she wouldn't hear me out. Now if she won't listen to me, then she_ will_ listen to you."

Danny had noticed the commotion inside Steve's office and he decided to intervene to prevent Steve from hurting the man. Walking into Steve's office he said, "Hey Steve, easy there man. I know you're angry but take it easy. Hurting him is not going to solve anything."

"Don't worry Danny. This man isn't worth getting my hands dirty for," Steve said to Danny not letting go of Peter. "Now you listen, when Mia walks through that door you will tell her everything you did and why you did it. Are you listening? You will tell her how years after walking out on her and her mother you decided to come back into her life by pretending to be someone you weren't. You will tell her how after all these years that she confided and trusted in you, you kept the fact that you're her _biological father_ away from her."

"_What did you just say?_"

They all heard the question and knew who it was coming from as Steve quickly let go of Peter and turned to face the person standing by the door, Mia. No one had heard her arrival, nor did they hear her enter the office because Danny had left the door opened when he entered Steve's office a few minutes ago.

Peter quickly stood up straight as he, too, turned to look at Mia. "Mia, sweetheart, I can explain," Peter tried explaining to Mia what was going on.

"I didn't ask _you_, I asked Steve," she told Peter never taking her eyes away from Steve. "Please tell me that I heard you wrong or that this is some kind of sick joke because it's not funny Steve."

"Mia, I tried to tell you but you wouldn't hear any of it and the only way I could get you to hear it was from the man himself," Steve explained as he took in Mia's horrified expression mixed with pain.

"You should have tried harder!" Mia exclaimed as she moved forward and punched Steve on the chest with tears falling from eyes. "You knew how I felt about the topic and this whole time I made myself look like an idiot for defending the man I despise so much! And you," she said as she was ready to lunge for Peter ready to attack him but Steve grabbed her from the waist, preventing her from taking another step.

"Mia, stop, please," Steve begged as Mia's constant movements made it harder for him to keep holding on to her but he still wouldn't let her go.

"Let me go Steve!" she demanded as wriggled around in his grasp. Mia suddenly thought of a way to have Steve release her. She kicked him hard on the shin causing Steve to yelp in pain and immediately release her. Taking advantage of her new gained freedom, Mia pounced on Peter hitting on his chest as she let out all her frustrations on him. "How could you do this to me? I trusted you and let you into my life thinking you were a great man who genuinely offered me his help. All these years you made a fool out of me!"

"Mia, sweetheart, I can explain-"

"Stop calling me that!" she yelled as she felt Steve's hands on her once again. "You lost every right to call me that the moment you decided to walk out on my mother and me. Do you have any idea of everything you put us through? Everything you put _me_ through? You left me to deal with an alcoholic who cared about no one but herself and making sure she had enough money to buy the next bottle to drown all the pain that _you_ caused!"

By now everyone was gathered inside Steve's office or by the door, including Savi who had come back to the office after going with Mia to the doctor.

"Mia, I think you should calm down. It's not good for you in your current state," Savanna said worried about Mia's health after having the doctor confirm Mia's pregnancy.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked turning his face to look at Savi.

"I'm fine Savi, don't worry about me," she said. After she assured Steve that she was fine and wouldn't physically attack Peter anymore, he let her go. Standing a few inches from Peter, she stabbed him in the chest with her finger as she said, "_You_ and that woman ruined my childhood, my life. The time where I wasn't supposed to have a care in the world turned into a living hell where I had to learn at such a young age to take care of my self, feed my self, walk my self to and from school. What does a five year old know about these things? Nothing! And I had to do it all on my own!" Mia began pacing the small open space back and forth as she asked him why he did what he did. "No you know what, I don't care. I don't want to hear your reasons or excuses for doing what you did I just want you to get out of my life for good. You have no idea how much I hate you and I never want to see or hear from you ever again!"

Mia suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.

Steve quickly moved beside her as he held her while she doubled over in pain. "Mia, what's wrong?" he asked his voice full of worry.

"Oh god, it hurts," she moaned in pain as she slowly lowered her self to the floor with Steve's help.

"Babe, talk to me, where does it hurt?"

"Oh my gods, Steve help me please," she begged as she cried in pain.

"Someone, call for an ambulance," Steve demanded as he held onto Mia and turned to look at everyone that was there.

"I just called, it's on its way," Danny said hanging up his cell after making the call once he noticed Mia was in serious pain.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Mia was being transported in an ambulanced to the nearest hospital. Steve had given orders to keep Peter away from the hospital and Mia.

Steve paced the halls of the hospital as he waited for news on Mia's condition. He didn't understand what was wrong with her. She'd never shown signs of being sick even though her moods lately were of concern to him. Something was terribly wrong and Steve just prayed that whatever it was, she would pull through. Twenty minutes after having arrived at the hospital, Steve heard a commotion and turned to find Danny and Savanna walking through the doors. They had left Chin in charge of Peter and the rest had promise to keep him updated on Mia's condition.

"Have they said anything?" Danny asked as soon as they reached Steve.

"No, nothing yet," he said as he continued pacing the hall.

"Steve, you need to calm down," Danny said.

"_Calm down_? You're telling me to _calm down _when the woman I love is in this damn hospital and I have no idea why?!" Steve yelled and then sat down in defeat as he buried his head in his hands. "I knew this was a bad idea. I should have told her when I had the chance, forced her to listen to me. This is my entire fault."

"Hey, it's not your fault. The only one to blame is that bastard that lied to her. If he wouldn't have kept something so important from her we wouldn't be in this situation," reasoned an equally concerned Danny.

"I know what caused the pain," Savi said as she stood in front of Steve with her arms crossed, full of concern.

Steve quickly stood and grabbed her from the arms as he demanded to know what she knew but before she could say anything they heard the doctor asking for family members of the patient Mia Summers.

"We're the only family she has," Steve said as he let go of Savi and turned to the doctor. "What's wrong with Mia?"

"And you are?" the doctor asked.

"Steve McGarret, her boyfriend," Steve said, "and these are her friends and family so anything you have to say you can say in front of them."

"Very well, I'm Dr. Alison Burke. Since you say you're my patient's boyfriend, I'll assume you're also the father of the baby she's expecting. Miss Summers suffered from cramping in her lower abdomen due to an excessive amount of stress. Her blood pressure was extremely high and we're currently working on bringing it down. Other than that, the baby and her are doing well as long as we can maintain the blood pressure at a normal place," the doctor explained.

Steve thought he'd heard wrong and didn't hear anything after the doctor said Mia was pregnant. "I don't understand Dr. Burke. There must be some sort of mistake. Mia is not pregnant," Steve told the doctor as he looked at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry Mr. McGarret, but my patient is in fact pregnant. I just saw her this afternoon and confirmed the news to her. She is four weeks into her pregnancy, a very delicate time period. For now we'll have her under observation for the remainder of the day to monitor her and the baby. Tonight we'll run some tests again to see if she can be released or if she will have to remain hospitalized until tomorrow. You're welcome to go in and see her, but only one person is allowed in the room with her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to tend to. If you need me, have one of the nurses contact me," the doctor said as she excused her self.

Steve was shocked and confused so he just nodded at the doctor as she turned and left. Pregnant, Mia was pregnant with his child. He couldn't believe what he had just been told but it was really happening. He was going to be a father once again, but this time he would do everything in his power to make sure him and Mia had the chance to really enjoy parenthood.

"Congrats, dad," Steve heard Danny say as he patted him on the back.

Steve laughed, a happy laugh as he said, "I'm going to be a dad. I'm really going to be a dad!"

"Yes you are," Savi said as she hugged Steve and congratulated him. "Mia was really afraid of what you're reaction might be but now I'll make sure she knows you were far from being upset."

"Upset? Hell no. I'm finally going to actually have a chance to be a father, the father of a child Mia and I made," Steve said, his eyes red from unshed tears.

"You should go in and be with Mia. She really needs you now," Danny said. "We'll head back and tell Chin and Kono the news."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, thank you guys."

He watched his friends walk away and disappear through the doors and then made his way to find Mia's room.

* * *

**A/N: I know some of you figured it out on the last chapter but I couldn't confirm nor deny it until you read the chapter. :) Don't forget to review...**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews I got. Enjoy...**

**Chapter 23**

Steve quietly walked into the room Mia was in and noticed she was sleeping. The curtains had been closed to keep the sunlight from coming in and allowing her to rest. He grabbed a chair and moved it close to the bed on her right side with his back to the window. Steve took hold of her right hand and slowly brought it to his lips to kiss it and then gently placed it back on the bed without removing his hand. He let his gaze wander around the room and then let it stop on the beeping monitors. He thought of how close they had come to losing their baby for a second time but Steve would make sure he did everything in his hands to prevent that from happening again. As he took in her pale complexion he noted how beautiful and peaceful she looked while sleeping despite her paleness. He could just stare at her forever and never get tired of it. He just loved her so much. A few minutes later Mia began to stir until she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted in a small voice.

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper as she looked around in confusion. Suddenly remembering something important she began to panic as she touched her stomach. "Steve, my baby?" she asked, the panic evident in her eyes.

"Shh, relax, you and the baby are both fine," he quietly told her as he removed a few strands of hair from her forehead.

He felt her let out a breath as she finally relaxed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I panicked when I found out at Kelly's birthday party but I wanted to be completely sure before I told you. The doctor barely confirmed it today," she explained.

"Hey it's okay. You can tell me all about it later when you're feeling better. Right now you need to relax and rest. The doctor will be here later to see if she can discharge you. Now try to get some rest. I'll be right here," he said as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Alright," she said letting exhaustion take over and settling into a relaxed sleep after hearing the baby was fine.

Around nine in the night Steve was awaken by Dr. Burke who had come to check on Mia. Mia had been awake for over an hour already and she had just been staring at Steve the whole time. He must have been really tired for him not to feel her intense stare.

"How are you feeling Mia?" the doctor asked as she flipped her chart open and began taking notes while studying the monitors.

"Much better doctor," she replied honestly.

"That's good to hear. That was some scare you gave us earlier. One minute more and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

"How is she doing now doctor?" they heard Steve ask as he stood up and crossed his arms.

"Everything looks normal now. Looks like you're good to go home but under strict orders of rest for a whole week. I want to see you again in a week and we'll see if we can let you go back to your normal routine, of course in your condition field work is out of question. I'll just go sign your discharge papers and let you go home."

"You heard the doctor Mia, _rest. _for a whole week," Steve said as the doctor left.

"Yes, Steve, I know. As long as it helps my baby keep safe I'll do everything I can."

"_Our_ baby," he said leaning down and kissing her. "Let me grab your clothes so you can get dressed and we can get out of here."

Mia smiled. She was glad that Steve was happy about the baby. She got dressed with the help of Steve and once she was ready a nurse came back with her release papers and a wheelchair because it was a rule that every patient had to leave the hospital in one to which Mia simply rolled her eyes.

Steve brought his truck to the entrance, which Danny had dropped off when Savi came to bring Mia extra clothes. He lifted her up and sat her on the passenger seat. He was also about to buckle her in but Mia protested.

"Okay that's enough. I can do that on my own, I'm not immobile," Mia complained.

"Alright, alright," he said as he closed the door and went around getting into the driver's seat.

"Steve I want you to take me to my apartment," she said looking at him while he started the car.

"I thought you might want to stay with me. You know with it being closer to headquarters and my mom there," he said looking at her.

"My apartment is not that far either and I would feel more comfortable there," she said as she turned to look out the window while Steve took off.

"Alright," Steve said as he looked straight ahead, "but soon we're going to have to make some decisions Mia. Important decisions regarding us and the baby because I am going to be there, involved in every part of its life."

"Yeah, well we'll worry about that when the time comes."

Steve let it go for now because he didn't want upset her any more. They still had to talk about her father but that would have to wait and he was surprised she was even speaking to him. The man was still on the island staying in a hotel close to the office but he was told to not get anywhere near Mia.

* * *

On the ride home Mia had fallen asleep so Steve decided to make a stop at his house to pack a bag to take to Mia's apartment. He wasn't going to leave her there alone. She needed him even if she hadn't asked and he was going to be there for her.

* * *

When they arrived at her apartment, Steve didn't have the heart to wake up Mia so he decided to carry her. Once inside the apartment, he went to lay her down on her bed and then he put his bag inside her walk-in closet. He went to make her something light to eat leaving the door slightly open so he would be able to hear her in case she woke up. While he waited for the soup he found in a can to heat up, he sent a message to everyone in his team and Savanna to tell them Mia and the baby were doing fine and she was already resting in her apartment.

A few minutes later Steve heard the shower start and he figured that it was probably Mia. Checking the clock on top of the stove, he saw it read 10:30 PM. When he saw the soup begin to boil he served two bowls, one for Mia and the other one for him. Placing them on a tray with two glasses of water and the pills the doctor had given Mia, he walked back to her room as she walked out of the restroom wrapped in only a towel.

"Hey I brought you something to eat and your pills," Steve told her as he placed the tray on one of the night stands.

"Thanks but I'm not really hungry," she said as she dressed into a light blue silk camisole and towel dried her hair.

"You have to eat Mia. It's just something light so you can take your pills," he said as he sat on the bed and observed her movements. "By the way, you should be in bed resting."

"I know, I just felt really dirty and decided to take a quick shower," she said with a small pout as she went and sat on Steve's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and Steve wrapped his around her waist.

"Alright, but no more getting up. If you need something you tell _me_ and I'll get for you. Now eat your soup. It's getting cold," he told her as he tried moving her towards the bed.

Mia sighed as she stood and got into the bed leaning against the headboard. Steve handed her a bowl of chicken soup and they both ate in silence at first until Mia began speaking.

"You know, when I first found out I was pregnant at Savanna's house, neither one of us could believe it," she began.

"Why not?" he asked giving her a questioning look.

"Well for starters, I couldn't ever have kids again and second because we've only just been together for a little over a month."

Steve looked at Mia with confusion written on his face as he asked her, "Why couldn't you have kids?"

Mia sighed as she placed the half empty bowl on the night stand and got ready to tell him about her accident. "The day I lost the baby, I had fallen down the stairs in my old house. The doctor that saw me that day said that due to the fall and hard hit I took, I wasn't going to be able to conceive anymore," she said as she wiped the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes with the palm of her eyes. "Savanna was there that day so when the pregnancy test read positive I didn't want to tell you anything until I was positive. Then today the doctor finally confirmed it and I couldn't wait to tell you but I was afraid of how you were going to react."

Steve put down his empty bowl as he moved to sit next to Mia and embraced her. "You had nothing to be afraid of. When the doctor told me you were pregnant I thought it was some kind of mistake but then she said there was no mistake, that you were very pregnant," he said with a small laugh. "You have no idea how happy that made me because now we'll have a second chance to do things right, to be parents and it's even better because _you're_ going to be the mother of my child, our child." Steve kissed the top of her head. "I love you Mia and I'm always going to be here for you and our children."

"Children?" she asked in a laugh as she turned to look up at him.

"Yeah, because we'll definitely have more," he stated.

"Yeah because you're not the one carrying them inside you," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"But I'll help take care of them and raise them."

"Let's just have this one first and then we'll see."

Steve just smiled and hugged Mia closer to him. "What did the doctor say about you not being able to have babies?"

"That's the weird thing because she didn't find any problems with me and me being pregnant obviously shows that I can conceive."

"Yeah that's definitely weird. Either the doctor back then lied or got his results mixed up. Then again there's also the probability that I'm _that_ good at making babies," he said smugly earning him a punch on the chest.

"Hey what was that for?" he asked in between laughter.

"You're sick McGarret, but I still love you," she said as she kissed him licking his lips, asking for entrance, which Steve gladly accepted. Mia pulled Steve down with her on the mattress so she was lying on the bottom and he was half on her and half on the mattress. Mia wrapped her left leg around him wanting to bring him closer to her. Feeling his growing bulge on her thigh, Mia went to undo his belt but Steve halted her plans as he firmly grabbed her hands with one of his strong hands.

"I want to feel you inside me Steve," she whispered against his lips as she wriggled around.

Steve dropped his head on her side and with a muffled voice he said, "I want to make love to you too but we can't."

"Why not?" she complained.

Steve raised his head to look at her. "Did you already forget what happened today?"

"The doctor already said I'm fine."

"Yeah and she also said you needed to rest."

"Arrgh, you're so frustrating Steve," she argued as she pushed him off her and stood up to tie her still damp hair in a bun.

"Come on Mia, don't get mad. I'm just worried about you and I don't want to hurt you."

Mia ignored him as she went to her side of the bed and got in under the covers giving her back to him. She was annoyed at Steve for leaving her sexually frustrated. Now he worried about being a gentleman, _perfect timing_, she thought sarcastically.

Steve sighed as he stood up and grabbed the tray with the bowls leaving Mia's pills and glass of water. He knew he'd have to be extra patient with Mia now that she was pregnant and would experience all the different mood swings possible. "Don't forget to take your pills," he told her before he went to take everything to the kitchen.

Mia waited until she heard Steve leave the room and sat up to take her pills. Then she lay back down and pretended to be sleeping when Steve came back into the room. She felt him move around the room until she heard the shower running. The sound of the shower was lulling her to sleep that she didn't hear when Steve came back into the room until she felt him wrap his arms around her and spooned her.

"Are you asleep?" he whispered.

"I was getting there," she mumbled back.

"I love you Mia and I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad," she whispered. "I'm just really horny and you won't do anything about it," she said with a pout.

She felt the bed shake and knew Steve was quietly laughing. She turned around to face him and said, "I don't find this the least bit comical Steven."

"I'm sorry. You're right, it's not funny, but we have to wait to see what the doctor says."

Mia rolled her eyes and then moved closer to Steve. She gave him a small kiss on the lips and said, "Goodnight babe."

"Goodnight baby."

* * *

The next morning Steve woke up around seven in the morning with Mia's legs entangled with his and her head on his chest. He gently moved her away from him, trying not to wake her up in the process. He didn't bother putting any clothes on so just like that, wearing only boxer briefs, he went to the kitchen to put on the coffee. Steve needed his morning caffeine to be able to think more clearly. The fresh smell of coffee filled his nostrils as he sat on the kitchen island waiting for it to be ready. Five minutes later Steve heard hurried movements in the room so he went to see what was going on. When he walked into the room he instantly heard the gagging coming from inside the bathroom in Mia's room. Walking to the door he knocked lightly as he asked Mia if she was okay. His response was more gagging and as he tried opening the door he noticed Mia had locked the door.

"Mia, open the door," he told her. He heard a flush of the toilet and then the water faucet turned on. A few minutes later Mia opened the door that Steve was about to kick open.

"How are you feeling?" he asked taking in her pale complexion as he helped her back into bed.

"Awful, please get rid of that smell. I can't stand the smell of coffee right now," she begged him as she lied down with her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry. I'll open the windows to let it air out," he told her as he went back into the kitchen to turn off the coffee maker and open the windows.

On his way back to the room he grabbed some salty crackers to help settle her stomach. "Here I brought you these. Try some, they might help you with the nausea," he offered as he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.

Mia sat up slowly as she took the crackers and thanked him for them. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for work?"

"I'm not going in today. I told Danny that unless I was really needed, I was going to take the day off to help you around."

"Steve I'm fine on my own. There's not much to do here plus the doctor never said I couldn't get up to grab something to eat or use the bathroom."

"She specifically said rest and when someone says rest it means lying down in bed resting, not doing anything else."

"That's insane. I'll go crazy. I can only watch so much TV or read till my eyes dry from so many words and then you'll get bored from not doing anything but staring at the wall or at me the whole day."

"Staring at you isn't so bad. In fact, it's not bad at all," he said with a smile.

"Well as much as I love it when you look at me we'll end up driving each other crazy if you decide to stay here the whole week. So I'll concede with you staying today but just today. Promise me you'll go back tomorrow," she said.

"The day is barely starting and you're already trying to get rid of me. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when the baby is here and we'll have to live together," he said as he kissed her forehead.

"Yeah well it's still too early to be thinking about that. We still have time," she said.

"Babe," he said when he noticed she closed her eyes.

"Hmm?" she replied not bothering to open her eyes.

"Why every time that I mention something about the future that involves us together with our child you seem to shut down and just dodge the topic by saying that we'll worry about it when the time comes. We need to start thinking about our future. It's not just us anymore," he said as he placed his hand on her still flat stomach.

"I know I just don't want to talk about that right now. I want to wait a while before we make any decisions," she said as she placed a hand on top of his opening her eyes to look at him.

"Why do you want to wait?"

"I just do. Can we please just drop the subject for now?" she gently asked him as she removed her hand from his and tucked herself in the blankets signaling the conversation was over.

"Alright, I'll let you rest for now but there are other things we have to talk about. I'll be in the living room making some calls," he said as he stood and went to dress in sweats and one of his Navy t-shirt before leaving the room.

When she heard Steve leave the room Mia opened her eyes and let the tears fall down. She knew she had to talk to Steve, but she was terrified. She was scared of the same story repeating itself, of losing her baby, and losing Steve. That's why she didn't want to make any plans just yet but she knew she couldn't hold Steve off for long. With all these thoughts running through her head, Mia eventually fell asleep once again.

* * *

Steve made himself a sandwich for breakfast and cut some fresh fruit for Mia so she could eat when she woke up. Then he went to sit on the couch and called Danny.

"Hey Steve, how's Mia?" he heard Danny ask.

"She's better now, sleeping after a bout of morning sickness. I don't think I'll be allowed to drink coffee any time soon. Thanks for asking," he responded.

"Glad to hear she's doing okay but let me tell you my friend, this is just the beginning. Eight more months of mood swings, cravings, peeing every five minutes. You name it," Danny said.

"Gee thanks Danny but I think I can handle it," he said very sure he could take whatever Mia went through during the pregnancy. "But I called to see how things are over there."

"Everything is good around here. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah I'll probably be back tomorrow. Mia doesn't really want me around here; she says we'll drive each other crazy."

Danny laughed. "And this is just the beginning, can't imagine what's going to happen when you two live together."

"Hey I'm not bad to live with," he defended.

"Yeah with all those Army rules, you're definitely not."

"Navy, Danny, I'm in the Navy for the millionth time," Steve replied rolling his eyes even though Danny couldn't see him. "I'm sure Mia will have no problem with them."

Danny snorted, "Seriously Steven? She's a woman for crying out loud, and a pregnant one! Women need to take their time getting ready, showering, and I'm not talking about two minute showers. They need to know where everything is and if they don't like where it's at then they'll start moving everything around and when you least expect it, your home will be completely transformed. Then when the baby comes, there will be toys, diapers, blankets everywhere and _you_, Steven, will have to learn to deal with it."

"Danny I thought you were my friend, man. Aren't friends supposed to give each other moral support and encouragement?"

"Hey I'm just telling you the truth so it doesn't take you by surprise."

"Yeah, yeah, hey any word on Peter?" Steve asked changing the subject.

"He's still on the island and the cops we put on his tail said there hasn't been any movement so he's still in his hotel room but he did call once to ask about Mia."

"Alright, thanks for the update. Call me if anything comes up."

"Will do, later," Danny said.

Steve hung up the phone and just sat there on the couch staring at nothing when he felt two arms wrap around his neck and then, "See anything interesting?" she whispered causing him to jump.

"Babe I'm worried about you, you're spidey senses seem to be failing you," Mia said as she came around the couch and sat next to him with her feet tucked under her and her arms around his neck as she massaged the spot where his hairline in the back of his head started.

"I think it's you that has me like that," he said with a smile as he turned slightly to her and placed one hand on her bare thigh. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"It wore me out. I'm tired of lying down and sleeping. Plus I'm hungry," she said giving him a small pout.

Steve smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "I made you a plate of fresh fruit. I don't know what you can or can't tolerate right now so we'll start with something simple and then we'll go from there. We already figured coffee is off the list."

Mia found that sweet, the fact the he took the time to think over what might or might not upset her stomach. "Do you have any idea how much I love you," she said as she pulled him closer to her and planted a big hot kiss on his lips. "You're always so thoughtful."

"Yeah, well that's because I love you so much too," he said giving her another kiss and getting up to go get her plate before she got any other ideas.

"Have you talked to your mom?" she asked as she saw him move around in her kitchen.

"No, haven't come around to doing that just yet."

"Are you going to tell her about the baby?" she asked as he handed her the plate with a fork and placed a glass of orange juice on the coffee table.

"Yeah, is that okay with you?" he asked sitting down next to her facing her with one hand on the back of the couch.

"You know I don't mind. I love your mom," she told him with a smile.

Steve returned the smile and nodded at her. "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better, thank you. It's not that bad, mainly it's just nausea," she said. "On the way back to the office Savi told me that not everyone gets morning sickness as bad as others and some just don't get it at all."

"We really have to get informed on this whole pregnancy thing, like what to expect and stuff like that," he told her taking in the fact that her appetite was back and being thankful for it. "How far along were you in your last pregnancy?"

Mia lowered her eyes and looked at her plate, "Four months but the morning sickness was worse."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but how did you fall from the stairs? I mean you were always very careful watching your step. Did you slip or trip on something?" he asked her.

Mia couldn't stop the tears as she answered him, "It was an accident Steve. Can't we just leave it like that, please?"

Steve sighed as he removed the plate from her and hugged her close to him. "I'm sorry babe; I didn't mean to upset you again."

"I just don't like thinking about it and it's already in the past."

Somehow I feel like what you need to do is really talk about it and let it all out so we can really move forward, he thought feeling that something from that accident was holding them back and if Mia didn't talk to him he didn't know what he could do to help her.

* * *

**A/N: Dont forget to review :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you to Flawles43, francis2, and GeishaXnoXHimitsu for your reviews and to anyone else who has been adding this story to your alerts. Hope everyone else who is reading is also enjoying the story. Thank you to evryone for simply reading it. **

**Chapter 24**

The next day Steve got to work around nine, making him the last to arrive, which was probably a first.

"Hey boss, good to have you back. How are Mia and the baby?" Kono asked.

"They're fine thank you, anything new?" Steve asked the team that was gathered around the computer table.

"Just doing some research to see if we find anything new on WoFat," Chin answered.

Steve nodded, "Yeah I don't like that he's practically vanished and no one saw anything. He's definitely onto something." Turning to Danny he said, "I'm going to go settle some business. I'll be back in an hour or two."

Danny raised his eyebrows in question. "What kind of business?"

"I'm going to have a nice long chat with the man responsible for putting Mia in a hospital bed."

"Then I'm coming with you. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail and explain to Mia the reasons for your imprisonment," Danny said as he got ready to follow Steve.

"I'm not going to hurt the man Danny. I'll just have a nice chat with him," Steve replied in a nonchalant way.

Danny and the rest of the team snorted. "Yeah right Steve. The last time you had a chat with someone you had him hanging from a roof! I am not going to let that happen again."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Whatever Danny, I'll see you guys later," he said turning to Chin and Kono on his way out with Danny hot on his heels.

* * *

"So what exactly are you going to talk to the man about?" Danny asked Steve as they got off on the 12th floor of the Hilton Hotel, where Mia's father was staying in.

"He's going to explain to me what he wants from Mia," Steve said as he found the door he was looking for and knocked on it.

"Coming," was heard from inside.

As soon as the man opened the door, Steve pushed the door open the rest of the way and punched the man right on his jaw causing Peter to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

"Hey! What happened to not hurting anyone and having a nice chat?" Danny complained after seeing his partner and friend punch Peter.

"That was for hurting Mia," Steve said as he grabbed Peter from the collar of his jacket and brought him up. "And this," he said punching him once more, in the stomach this time, "is for my unborn child."

Peter fell to the floor once more doubled over in pain as Steve stood over him glowering down at him.

"That's enough Steve," Danny said as he saw Steve grab Peter from the collar and bring him up again.

"Get up," Steve demanded as he dragged him up from the collar and pushed him onto a chair.

"This," he said pointing to what he'd just done, "is nothing compared to what I really want to do to you for everything you've put Mia through. All the years she had to give up to tend to an alcoholic who didn't give a damn about anything or anyone but herself and her own pity party over someone who didn't give a damn about them. And let us not forget the years you lied to her about your true identity."

"If I would've known that is what Mia was going to go through I would've never left her alone in the first place. I would have taken her with me," Peter said as he spat blood from his mouth while he talked.

"Yeah well you should have thought about that before you left," Steve said as he got in Peter's face.

Peter wiped his mouth as he said, "You are _no on_e to judge me McGarret. You left her just as well when she needed you the most so don't come here trying to act all high and mighty when at the end of the day you're just like me."

Steve saw red. He grabbed Peter by the neck as he said in his face, "Don't you ever dare compare me to you because we are far from being anything alike. I had no idea of anything that was going on with Mia and if I never tried contacting her it was for her own safety. I didn't know who was after my family but I wasn't going to risk the chance of that person getting to Mia. What's your excuse?"

Peter stood when Steve let him go and said, "I don't owe you any damn explanations, it's none of your business. If Mia wants to hear me then I'll tell her, not you."

"I made it my business the moment you send Mia to the hospital and almost killed my unborn child so you _will_ tell me what you are doing with Mia. What do you want from her?"

"I don't want anything from her. I just want to be her father."

Steve laughed. "And you think by lying to her, pretending to be someone you're not, you're going to get her to accept you? Let me tell you something Peter. Let's forget about the fact that you lied to Mia about your real identity and focus on the time where you weren't in the picture. I watched Mia sacrifice the best years of her life and for what? For someone who didn't give a damn about her. Someone who only cared about one thing, drowning her sorrows in a bottle. After everything her mother put her through, Mia never gave up on her, hoping that one day her mother would wake up and realize she existed. Not once did her mother give her a good night kiss or a hug goodbye on the mornings when she had to walk herself to school. The only person she had for a while was her aunt but even she walked away from her, but Mia never complained. She kept going and I've never been more proud of anyone than I am of her. People like her are what makes this world, this life worth living for. Now you tell me Peter, do you really think that after everything she went through because of your selfish reasons to leave her, you deserve a daughter like her?"

Peter had tears in his eyes from everything he'd just heard. "I- I didn't know. I was so young, only nineteen and that wasn't what I wanted. I wasn't ready to be a father and when Samantha and I moved into the house my parent's left me we turned into complete strangers. All we did was fight until I got tired of it all and walked away. I admit I didn't think about anything or anyone else. All I wanted to do get out of that house that was suffocating me. I didn't want to be found so I changed my name and managed to make a good career with the FBI. Two years after I moved from Hawaii I met my wife Lisa and she made me see things in a different light but I wasn't ready to come back yet."

"So what, you waited until she was older, when she had already been through enough and even then you didn't tell her who you were."

"It wasn't easy. When I saw her she was already pregnant and I knew something like this could be bad for her in her situation so the best way I figured was to lie to her about who I was until she had the baby but I had to go back to New York so when she lost the baby I offered her my full support and help and left her my info to contact me if she ever needed something. When she called me the night after her graduation, crying, begging me to help her I didn't even hesitate. I put her on the first plane to New York and when she arrived and let it all out I knew I couldn't tell her who I was. You think I don't know how much she hates me?" Peter wiped the tears from his eyes. "The way she talked about her father was very obvious he was the last person on this earth she wanted to see but when she talked about you, it was a completely different story. I have no idea why she defended you so much even after everything she went through. And even after thinking you wanted nothing to do with her she didn't blame you. She said it didn't surprise her that she, she was used to people walking away from her, not wanting her."

"But you still let her believe something that wasn't true. Why?"

"I didn't want to lose her! I knew that would happen the moment I told her the truth and she didn't have anyone. I knew that was the only way I would be able to stay close to her."

Steve shook his head, not wanting to hear Peter's lousy excuses, nothing justified leaving Mia alone with an alcoholic mother. "I don't care anymore about your lousy excuses. I want you to stay away from Mia. If she ever decides that she wants to talk to you then _she_ will be the one to contact you. I don't ever want to hear that you got anywhere close to her, do I make my self clear? If I find out that you step one foot on this island I will personally hunt you down," he finished and then turned to walk towards the door. "Let's go Danny."

* * *

A week later, Steve took the morning off to take Mia to her doctor's appointment and see how her and their baby was doing.

"I can't wait 'till the time comes where we get to find out the sex of the baby," Steve said as he drove them to the hospital stealing a glance at Mia who was biting her nails in a nervous habit she'd had since he met her. "Babe relax, everything is going to be fine."

"Can you stop saying that?" she retorted at him. "That's all you keep saying but you're not the one that's pregnant. I am and I'll be the only one responsible if anything is wrong with this baby," she finished as her voice broke towards the end.

Steve was at a loss for words. He didn't know she felt all the weight of this on her shoulders and she didn't have to. She had him. "You're right. I'm not the one that's pregnant and I have no idea what any woman goes through but I am your partner Mia and you have to learn to talk to me. You don't have to carry everything on your shoulders. I need to know how you feel and if you don't talk to me then I don't know how I can help you to make this easier for you."

"Just stop saying that everything will be fine when neither one of us knows it for sure," she whispered.

Steve stayed quiet the rest of the ride. When they arrived Mia got out of the truck without waiting for Steve to come around and open the door for her. Steve sighed as he saw her begin walking inside without waiting for him. He locked the truck and jogged to catch up to her.

"If you wanted to come alone you should have said something," he whispered in her ear as she signed in.

"Yeah, like it would've helped. You would still be here," she threw back at him in a whisper as she went to sit down.

"So are we going to be fighting all day today?"

"I'm not fighting with you," she said as she grabbed a magazine from the table next to her chair and flipped through it.

Steve sighed as he sat back on his chair and stretched out his legs waiting to be called in. Five minutes later the nurse came out saying the doctor was ready to see them.

The doctor checked Mia and did an ultrasound to check on the baby.  
"The baby looks fine, nothing to worry about. Everything looks normal," the doctor said.

Steve was in awe at what he saw on the monitor. It wasn't much, just a growing seed but still, it was his baby. The baby he helped make with the woman he loved.

"Are you positive doctor?" Mia asked.

"Yes I see nothing to worry about. You may go back to work just don't overdue yourself and definitely no field work."

Mia let of a breath of relief as she squeezed Steve's hand and let a few tears escape.

"I hope those are happy tears because really, you have nothing to worry about," the doctor reassured Mia.

Mia nodded at the doctor as she wiped her tears and then the doctor told her she could get dressed. When the doctor left the room Mia sat up slowly with the help of Steve to prevent the room from spinning and then hugged Steve from the waist as she placed her forehead on his chest. "I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting and treating you. I've just been really nervous and scared. I didn't know what to expect," she told him as cried.

"Hey, it's okay to be scared, I was scared too but I didn't want you to worry even more. You heard the doctor, though, there's nothing to worry about," he softly told her as he held her face and placed a small tender kiss on her lips. "Now go dress so we can get out of here."

Mia got dressed and a few minutes later the doctor came in repeating her instructions and telling them she wanted to see Mia in a month for her monthly visit.

* * *

Mia and Steve walked hand in hand out of the building happy and relaxed that everything was okay. Mia was lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the man that was walking straight into her until they bumped shoulders.

"I'm sorry I didn't see where I was going," the man apologized.

"Don't worry I was distracted too," Mia replied as she let go of Steve's hand to cover the sun light from her eyes and look at the man in front of her. "Wait I know you! Derek!" she squealed as she threw her arms around him.

"Mia?" he said once he saw her face and broke into laughter when Mia threw her arms around him so he hugged her back.

"Oh my god what are you doing here? In Hawaii?" she asked him in surprise.

"Well I should ask you the same question but I'm here visiting my cousin, the one I told you lived here, and well since her husband couldn't make it to her appointment she asked me to come with her. We're supposed to meet here which by the way, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're -"

"Yes, I'm pregnant," she told him with a big smile.

Steve just stood there feeling like an idiot as Mia and this guy went on and on. Who was this Derek guy and why was Mia so _'friendly'_ with him. He was about to find out.

"Who's this Mia?" Steve asked her, not taking his eyes off the 'Derek' guy.

"Oh I'm sorry babe. Steve, meet a really good friend of mine, Derek West. Derek this is Steve McGarret, my boyfriend and father of my baby."

"Nice to meet you," Derek said as he shook Steve's hand.

"Where do you two know each other from?" Steve asked.

"New York," they said in unison then turning to look at each other and laughing but Steve didn't find any of this in the least bit amusing.

"Hey listen I got to go I'm already late as it is but it was so great running into you and here of all places," Derek said as he hugged Mia on more time.

"Yeah it was. You should give me a call so we can meet up and catch up. I still have my cell phone from New York, same number. Give me a call," she said.

"Sure will. Take care and nice to meet you Steve," he said as he began walking away.

Mia smiled as she grabbed Steve's hand and started walking towards the truck. "I can't believe I just ran into him. I haven't seen Derek in like two or three years. What a surprise don't you think?" she asked Steve as she looked up to see him.

"Yeah, big surprise," he stated dryly.

Mia looked at him weird. What was up with him?

"What?" he asked her when he saw the look she was giving him as he opened the passenger door for her.

"I should ask you that. What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he said and then closed the door once she was seated.

"Babe what's wrong?" Mia asked Steve as soon as he got in the truck.

"Who's this Derek guy?"

"I told you, an old friend from New York," she explained.

"You two seemed a little too friendly to be just _old friends from New York_, don't you think so?" Steve asked.

"We dated for a bit," she told him as she stared straight ahead.

Steve nodded, "You dated, just like that."

"Yes Steve just like that. What else do you want me to say?"

"How long did you date for?" he asked her as he looked at her but she was just staring straight ahead.

"Does it really matter? I'm with you now and that's all that matters," she said looking at him.

Steve shrugged in a noncommittal way, "I'm just curious."

"Well you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat," she teased but Steve didn't laugh. Mia sighed as she finally told him, "We dated for five years."

"I'm sorry, did you say _five years_?" Steve asked not sure if he heard her right.

"Yes Steve five years but we broke up because we both had different interests in life. It was a mutual decision and we managed to stay friends until about two or three years ago when he moved away without a word to anyone."

"You call a five year relationship dating for a bit?" Steve asked with a small laugh.

"Why are you getting so worked up over something that happened a long time ago?"

"I'm not getting worked up over anything. I just don't like seeing my girlfriend, my _pregnant_ girlfriend, being a little too friendly with her ex who just happened to be on the island on vacation at the same time as you."

"You know what Steve, I'm just going to ignore what you just tried to imply. You have nothing to worry about because the person I love is sitting right here next to me," she said as she inched closer to Steve and kissed him but Steve didn't respond.

"I didn't try to imply anything. I'm just trying to tell you what I observed."

"Babe, can we please drop this already. I don't want to fight over something so silly," she said kissing him once more sliding her hand up his thigh getting the reaction she wanted from Steve.

Steve groaned as he felt Mia's hand slowly slide up his thigh inching closer to his growing bulge, teasing him. "If I could I would take you right here, right now," he whispered against her lips.

"What's stopping you?" she whispered back her eyes full of lust, of want, and of need.

"For starters, we're in the middle of a full parking lot in broad daylight and second we didn't ask the doctor if it was okay for us to you know..."

Mia laughed, "Seriously? Babe it is perfectly normal and okay to have sex during a pregnancy as long as we don't get too rough. Plus, I've never done it in the middle of a parking lot in broad daylight," she said whispering seductively her last sentence against his ear.

"It's still not happening," he said as he moved back and turned to start the engine. "I promise to make it up to you soon."

"God Steve, I've been throwing my self at you for the last week and all you've done is been rejecting me. This is definitely a first for you," she said in disbelief as Steve pulled away driving towards headquarters laughing the whole time.

* * *

Steve and Mia arrived at headquarters around noon. Mia was tired of being in her apartment so she convinced Steve to let her come with him back to the office as long as she promised not to overdo herself and absolutely no field work.

Danny was the first one to see Mia and Steve make their way towards the team that was gathered around the computer table. "Hey Mia, glad to have you back," he said with a smile.

"Thank you Danny," she replied returning the smile.

"How did it go with the doctor?" Kono asked them.

"Great. Everything looked normal," Mia answered happy to see the team since the incident that took place a week ago, something Mia wanted to forget about.

"Were happy for you, for both of you," Chin said.

"Thanks guys," Steve replied. "So what are we working on?"

"Well while you were gone we got a body out in a sugarcane field completely burned," Danny said.

"Do we have and ID?" Steve asked.

"Aiden O'Connell," Chin said. "But here's the catch, the cause of death wasn't the burns, he was actually shot before being burned."

"We've gone through all his phone records and the only number that stands out is the one for his therapist, Olivia Victor," Kono filled.

"Alright, let's go," Steve told Danny.

"Go? Go where?" Danny asked.

"To pay a visit to the therapist," Steve said.

* * *

While Steve was getting ready to leave with Danny, Mia said she would be studying the case in her office. On her way to her office her phone began vibrating inside her back pocket of the jeans she was wearing. She didn't recognize the number but answered either way to see who it was.

"Agent Summers," she said as she closed her office door behind her.

"Mia, it's Derek," she heard on the other side.

"Drake, hey, what's up?" she said happy to hear from him so soon.

"Nothing much really, just got done with my cousin's appointment. I was calling to see if you wanted to have some lunch with me, catch up a bit," he said with a hopeful voice.

Mia checked her watch and saw that it was 12:30 pm and she hadn't had lunch yet. "You know that sounds like a great idea," she said and then gave him the directions to Kamekona's shrimp truck. "I'll see you in a bit."

Mia stepped out of her office as they were about to leave.

"We're heading out, remember, don't overdo your self," Steve said in a hurry as they were heading out.

"Sure," she said to no one because before she could reply they had already left. "Shit," Mia said as she suddenly remembered she didn't have a car. "I guess I'll have to call a cab."

* * *

Twenty minutes later Mia arrived at Kamekona's shrimp truck and found Derek sitting in a bench with his back to her. She walked quietly behind him and placed her hands over his eyes. "It's your worst nightmare," she whispered jokingly.

Derek laughed as he removed her hands from his eyes. "You're far from being my worst nightmare; more like a dream come true."

"Aww always the sweet one. What will your clients think if they heard you? The prestigious lawyer is losing his touch," she teased as she took a seat across from him. "Did you order?"

"Nope, I was waiting for you," he said as he crossed his hands on top of the table.

"And the perfect gentleman," she said.

"That's me," he said with a smile. "So what's good around here?"

"Everything is good around here my friend. Just pick and it will have you begging for more," Kamekona said as he approached their table to take their order. Turning to Mia he said, "What a lovely surprise beautiful. Haven't seen you around here lately."

"Hi Kamekona," she said with a smile, "I've been, you could say a bit indisposed"

"Well I'm glad to see you again. Who's your friend?"

"This is Derek West. Derek, meet Kamekona, the owner of the shrimp truck."

Derek shook Kamekona's hand and smiled at the big man. "Nice to meet you."

Kamekona bent down a bit to get closer and without letting go of Derek's hand he said, "She's already taken so no funny business haole."

Derek just laughed and said, "No problem man."

Mia and Derek placed their orders and when Kamekona left Mia apologized. "I'm sorry about that. He's Steve's friend."

"Hey no need to apologize. I would do the same thing if I saw my friend's beautiful girlfriend with some other dude."

"Thank you," she blushed. "So what happened to you? One minute you're in New York and the next you're gone."

"Yeah about that, I'm sorry about not saying goodbye. I got a really great job offer somewhere else and I felt like it was something I couldn't pass up on. You know how much I hate goodbyes so I just up and left."

"Well I'll forgive you just because you left for a good reason. So where was this offer at?"

"Hawaii," he said as he smiled at her.

"You're orders are ready. Anything else I can get you?" Kamekona asked.

"No we're good thank you," Mia said and Kamekona nodded and left. Turning to Drake she asked, "What do you mean Hawaii? I thought you were here on vacation?"

"Yeah well it sort of feels like it. Have you looked at this place," he said motioning to his surroundings, "it's paradise."

"Don't forget I grew up here," she reminded him. "I just can't believe you're living here now. It's such a small world."

"What I can't believe is that you're living here now after claiming you never wanted to step a foot on this island ever again because you didn't want to remember things that were best left forgotten," he said.

"Yeah well it's a really long story," she said. "Initially I came here as a favor to Peter who has the Governor of Hawaii as a friend. The governor needed someone to help his special task force, Five-O, in this big case so Peter asked me and here I am."

"Yeah I think I've heard of Five-O. Its leader was arrested for the murder of the former governor about a year ago but I think he was found innocent and they let him go," he said. "What I don't understand is how what was supposed to be a temporary stay turned out to be a permanent one. Because you are staying right, now that you're pregnant."

"I reconnected with an old boyfriend and well now I'm pregnant but I don't know if my stay here is permanent," she said.

Dereklooked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

"I just don't want to make any plans just yet. I'm only about a month and a half into my pregnancy. It's too early to be making plans," she said as she pushed her plate aside and placed her hands on top of the table. "I'm scared," she confessed in a small whisper.

Derek pushed his plate aside too as he leaned in and grabbed Mia's hands. "What are you afraid of?"

Mia blinked away the tears that wanted to escape as she said, "I'm afraid of the story repeating itself. I don't want to lose my baby Derek. You know the last time I was pregnant I was only four months and I lost my baby. Steve is so happy and excited about becoming a father and he wants to make all these plans but I just don't want to just yet. If it were up to me I'd probably wait until I was holding the baby in my arms."

Derek wiped away the few tears that had escaped from Mia's eyes. "Listen to me Mia. No one knows what will happen tomorrow or in a few months. You can't live in fear your whole life because of something that was out of your control. You know you had nothing to do with what happened to you and your baby. Have you talked to Steve about this and about what happened during your first pregnancy?"

"He doesn't know that's what I'm scared about and he just knows I fell down the stairs."

"You mean he doesn't know that your -"

"Please don't say it. Steve doesn't have to know that," she said interrupting him from completing what he was about to say.

"Mia he has to know. You need to talk to him so he can understand where you're coming from," he tried reasoning with her.

"You're the only one that knows Derek. Everyone else thinks I just fell down the stairs and it should stay that way."

"Well at least talk to him about your fears and he'll be able to understand your reluctance to make plans."

Mia nodded and then told him about finding out Peter Donovan was in reality Peter Summers, her father, and how she had been hospitalized.

"Wow I can't believe he's your father. I mean I always saw some similarities but never thought anything about it," Derek said in surprise after everything Mia had told him. "What are you going to do about New York? You're job is back there waiting for you and so is your home."

"I don't know just yet. I still have to finish my assignment here but I do know one thing for sure."

"And that is?"

"I never want to see Peter again." Mia looked at her watch and noticed she had been with Derek for two hours already. "Wow I didn't even know we've been here for so long."

"We always did lose track of time whenever we got together," he said.

"That's because you're a great friend," Mia said. "I should really get back in case the team needs me."

"Alright let me just pay the bill and I'll walk you to your car," he said as he stood.

"Actually, I took a cab here."

"Then I'll drive you back," he said.

"You don't have to," she said but Derek interrupted her protests.

"I'm not letting you go back in a cab on your own. I'll drive you back to make sure you get there safe and sound. I'm just going to pay this and I'll be back," he said as he walked away.

Mia and Derek arrived outside Headquarters fifteen minutes later. Derek got out and went around opening the door for Mia.

"Safe and sound just like I promised," said.

"Thanks Derek," she said.

"Anytime," he said. "Don't be a stranger and keep in touch."

"I should be the one telling you that. Who's the one that left without a word?" she teased.

"Alright, alright," he said raising his hands in defense. Derek hugged Mia goodbye and got into his car.

* * *

"Who's that?" Danny asked the team as they were walking towards the entrance causing the whole team to turn and look at him.

"Who?" Steve asked looking at his partner and then turning to look in the direction where he was looking. Steve didn't like what he saw, Mia getting out of some guy's car. Derek to be more precise and to top it off, she hugged the man.

"Hey boss isn't that Mia? And who's the hottie that's with her?" Kono asked.

"Kono," Chin said giving her a look when she turned to look at him. "Come on let's go see what we get on Olivia."

Kono nodded and went inside with her cousin.

"So who is he?" Danny asked.

"Her ex," Steve said not taking his eyes away from the scene.

* * *

When Mia saw Derek drive away, she waved one final time and turned around to walk towards the building. She froze when she saw Steve and Danny standing there staring at her. Steve didn't look too happy and Danny looked slightly amused. Mia sighed and made her way towards them knowing she was going to get Steve's attitude.

"Hey guys, so how did it go with the therapist?" she casually asked, hoping to make Steve forget about Derek.

"Smoothly," Danny said with his arms crossed ready to hear Steve let it out.

Mia could feel Steve's penetrating gaze on her but she didn't want to face him just yet. "That's good to hear. What are we doing here; let's go inside so we can see what else we find," she said beginning to walk towards the entrance.

"Mia," Steve said in a serious tone.

Mia paused and hesitated before she turned to look at Steve. "It was just lunch Steve," she said in equal seriousness and then turned to walk inside leaving Steve and a very amused Danny behind.

"Just lunch Steve," Danny said patting Steve on the shoulder with a laughing smile on his face and following Mia inside.

Mia avoided Steve until she went to ask him for his truck so she could go to her apartment to retrieve some files she left there and after assuring him that she would be fine he reluctantly gave her the keys.

* * *

The moment Mia stepped into her apartment she knew something was wrong so she grabbed her gun from her waist and got ready for whatever she found. She walked slowly checking her surroundings. She was about to turn the corner into the hallway that led to her room when someone kicked the gun out of her hands and soon a man she did not recognize was pointing a gun straight at her.

* * *

**A/N: Don't forget to review...**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: First of all as usual thank you for all the wonderful reviews I received and thank you to those who are new to the story for reading it and for adding it to their alerts. Second I want to apologize for an error a made on the last chapter. The name of Mia's ex is "Derek" not "Drake". I already went back and made the corrections and if I missed one I apologize but feel free to let me know. While I was writing that chapter I kept making the same mistake and for some reason I thought I had corrected it, I guess I didn't and I apologize. **

**paches2010:Thank you! :), **

**guest1:Thank you, sorry for leaving you hanging but sometimes a little suspense is fun lol sorry, **

**guest2: You'll have to wait and read how the story plays out for Derek. Where WoFat is concerned, he's not dead in my story. I'm trying to go with the show when it comes to WoFat, **

**Flawless 438: I try to personally thank each and everyone of you when I have the chance ;) I can't give much away but there's some surprises coming, **

**Orchid121: Thank you for pointing out my error, I apologize. **

** 92: You'll find out the answer to that soon. I really am trying to update as soon as possible. **

**GeishaXnoXHimitsu: Don't worry, here's next part :)  
**

**Chapter 25**

"Who are you?" Mia asked the man with the gun pointed at her and her hands raised in a surrender mode. She wasn't stupid and took in the man's appearance. He looked shaken, his hands were shaking and he looked angry. Mia knew how dangerous people were when they were unstable so she would try to stay calm and get the man to lower his gun.

"I should be asking all the questions here," he responded. "What's your interest in Doris McGarret?"

"Excuse me?" Mia asked clearly confused.

"I know you've been looking into her file with my information. How the hell did you get access to my account?" the stranger demanded clearly angry.

"I'm sorry but you must be confusing me for someone else. I don't have any reason to look into Doris' file and even if I did I wouldn't need your account to access that kind of information. Why don't you tell me who you are and maybe we can get this all cleared up," Mia offered. "But please lower your weapon."

"I'm Agent Chris Channing," he told her as he lowered his gun and showed her his id.

"Agent Channing, I believe if you would have done your homework right you would know that I'm Special Agent Mia Summers and you would also know that I have access to the same information you have access to," Mia said as she walked back to the living room with Chris right behind her positive that he meant no harm.

"Then why did your friend need my information?" he asked.

Mia turned to look at him like he'd grown another head. "What friend?"

"The one with long dark hair, brown eyes," he offered. "I saw you two at the coffee shop not so long ago."

Mia finally realized who he was talking about. "Catherine," she whispered. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm down she said in clenched teeth, "She's not my friend. How do you even know her and how do you know we were at the coffee shop."

"I met her at a bar and when I was suspended for exactly what she did, I tracked her down and started following her. Then I lost her and I knew the best next thing would be tracking you. Tell me where is she and what did she want information on Doris for?"

"First of all, I have no idea how you found me because that information is classified even from you but I'll let it go for now. Second, I have no idea where Catherine is. All I know is that she was doing a favor for a friend and I can assure you the information was not in any way misused. Doris' son just wanted to know where his mother was," Mia explained not believing she was actually defending Catherine even after the mess she got her in. "Why were you suspended?"

"Doris is in danger. The man she supposedly killed years ago faked his own death and we think he's coming after Doris so when the Agency found out someone had accessed my account from an unknown location I was left with the repercussions. I was suspended for negligence."

"Look I'm sorry Catherine put you in this mess. I honestly don't know where she is but if there's anything I can do to help you, tell me," Mia genuinely offered. She knew how bad this looked in any Agent's history and she would try to help him out. God, she had warned Steve about the possible repercussions of Catherine's actions.

Chris fills Mia in on everything he has and how they have a current location for the Colombian Assassin named Mangosta that is after Doris. Mia doesn't think twice about it and goes to help Chris.

She's in the assassin's hotel room looking for information or evidence on the man but hasn't found anything when Chris informs her through an ear piece that Mangosta is heading her way.

"Mia, get out of there now," he hissed into his microphone.

"Hold on I think I found something," she whispered as she saw pictures of Doris and a passport.

"Mia, now!" he whispered loudly to get his point across.

Mia tried putting everything back in order the way she found it when she heard the door knob turning. Quickly she let herself out through the balcony and she knew what she was about to do was completely stupid and dangerous and if Steve found out, he would personally kill her but she had to get away so she got behind the railing of the balcony and slowly lowered her self until she was able to jump onto the balcony below her.

"Phew," she said letting out a breath after making sure she was fine.

"Mia where are you?" Chris asked urgently.

"Relax; I'm on my way to meet you."

Mia and Chris then raced to Doris' house and found furniture turned over and blood. Mia's blood ran cold at the possibilities this could mean but she didn't allow herself to think anything until she found Doris.

* * *

Mia and Chris raced back to her Audi to track down Doris when her phone started ringing. Without checking the caller id she answered and found Steve on the other end of the line.

"Mia? Where are you?" he asked.

She turned to look quickly at Chris as she sped down the highway. "I'm actually with your mother. She called to see if I could join her for coffee," she lied instantly feeling guilty.

"Mia, you don't drink coffee right now, you can't stand the smell of coffee," Steve pointed out.

"I know Steve but I'm not the one drinking it," Mia quickly said feeling Chris gaze on her the whole time.

"Have you told her about the baby? Let me talk to her," Steve said.

Shit, she thought. "She's in the restroom right now but I'll have her give you a call," she said using her perfected skills to lie to Steve knowing it was wrong. "Listen Steve, I'll give you a call or I'll see you when I'm back in the office." Mia didn't wait for a response and quickly ended the call.

"I got a location," Chris informed her, having received a message with the location while she was on the phone with Steve.

"Okay," she said as Chris put it into the GPS.

"So, what baby?" Chris asked.

"None of your business," Mia said staring straight ahead.

"You know, for an FBI Agent you're a bad liar and I doubt your boyfriend believed anything of what you just told him," Chris commented.

"Let me worry about Steve and you focus on the task at hand," Mia said.

Mia and Chris arrived ready for a battle but were shocked at the scene in front of them. It was actually Doris torturing Mangosta for information on what, Mia had no idea.

"Doris that's enough," Mia demanded.

"You should leave Mia," Doris said not taking her eyes off Mangosta.

"Let Chris handle this Doris and let's go, now!" Mia demanded once more. "That' an order or I will arrest you Doris."

Doris turned to look at Mia in surprise definitely not expecting it but Mia had already put herself and her baby in enough danger for a day and she wasn't about to take more chances. Steve probably already figured she had lied to him and she didn't want to imagine the confrontation they were surely going to have.

* * *

Mia drove Doris back to the McGarret's home in complete silence but once Mia pulled into the driveway she broke the silence. Staring straight ahead and clutching the steering wheel, she asked Doris in a tone that showed she was playing no games, "What the hell is going on Doris and don't you _dare_ lie to me. I already put my life and my unborn child's life in enough danger to last a lifetime so you better tell me the damn truth."

Doris told Mia everything related to Mangosta and how she knew him. She also told Mia how she had been positive she had killed the man and didn't understand how the man was alive. "Please don't mention any of this to Steve," Doris begged.

Mia turned her gaze quickly to Doris and gave her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me?"

"Please Mia," Doris begged once more.

"Doris I've already lied to Steve more than once on your behalf. How can you ask me to keep something so important from him? His mother's life is in danger for crying out loud and if something happens to you and he finds out that I knew you were in danger and didn't tell him he's going to hate me and that will be the end of us," Mia argued. "And if you didn't catch it earlier, I'm pregnant Doris, with Steve's child."

"This is something I have to solve Mia. I'm perfectly trained to take on any one as dangerous as Mangosta. I'm begging you to please keep this to yourself," Doris said looking into Mia's eyes.

Mia was looking into Doris' eyes as she mulled things through in her head. She knew deep inside how wrong all this was and that she would regret it sooner or later. She simply prayed Steve would never find out about any of this or that nothing ever happened to Doris because if it did then she didn't know how she would be able to cope with the consequences.

"Fine," Mia said reluctantly as she turned to look straight ahead.

After a moment of silence Doris said, "So I'm going to be a grandma?"

Mia smiled a hesitant smile at Doris and nodded.

"How far along are you?" she asked.

"Almost six weeks," Mia said.

"Congrats. Wow, I can't believe I'm going to be a grandma," Doris said turning to stare outside. Then turning her gaze back at Mia and grabbing her hand giving it a gentle squeeze she said, "I'm really happy for both of you and I'm sorry for the situation I've been putting you in with Steve."

Mia simply nodded and then said her goodbyes to Doris.

* * *

When she arrived at the office no one was there and she was grateful for that. She just didn't think she would be able to face Steve at this moment so she went to her office and lost herself in the case that brought her to Hawaii. Mia knew she had a lot of unfinished businesses not only here in Hawaii but in New York as well, one of them being her _'biological father'._ Mia knew she had to face that issue soon but she didn't want to do that just yet and she also knew she had to talk to the governor, another conversation she definitely didn't want to have. Trying to get her mind off things, she focused on the file in front of her.

* * *

About an hour later Mia remembered her lunch with Derek and Steve's reaction. Great, she thought, another item on her list she had to take care of. Could this day get any more worse? She knew she couldn't avoid Steve forever especially since he would be taking her home. She didn't see anything wrong with having lunch with an old friend but Steve obviously did and she kind of understood him because as much as she stated Derek and she were friends, they still had history together.

"Are you ready to go home?" she heard Steve ask. Mia was distracted in her own thoughts she didn't even hear when Steve opened the door. She looked up and he was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and didn't know how long he'd been standing there. He didn't look too happy either.

"Um, yeah, let me just shut down the computer and put these files away," she said as she began turning off everything and putting files away feeling Steve's stare the whole time.

* * *

When they arrived at Mia's place Steve didn't park the truck, he just stopped at the entrance and waited for Mia to get off. Nothing was said on the ride there either and Mia didn't know exactly how upset Steve was.

"You're not going to stay over tonight?" she asked looking at him.

"That was the plan but now I'm not so sure," he replied not looking at her.

"Why not?"

Steve chuckled as he shook his head. "Mia, you and I need to have a serious talk but right now I'm afraid to say something I'll end up regretting so I think it's best I go home tonight and see you at the office tomorrow," he said and then turned to look at her. "Go on, I'll wait here until you're inside."

Mia looked at Steve and saw how serious he was. He couldn't possibly be this upset over her lunch with Derek. "Steve-" she began.

"Not now Mia," he cut her off.

She leaned over to kiss him goodbye but he turned his face and she ended up planting the kiss on his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered and then turned to get off the truck and walk inside her apartment building.

Steve watched Mia get off the truck and walk inside. "I love you too Mia but some things will have to change and soon," he whispered to him self. When he saw that she was safely inside he drove away.

* * *

The week came and went and now it was Friday night. Steve hadn't spoken much to Mia in the last two days since seeing her with Derek and everyone in the team could feel the tension between them. He only talked to her to see how she was doing and checking if she needed anything. Tonight Steve planned on talking with Mia and hoped she would open up to him. Not only was the issue with Derek bothering him but he felt like Mia was hiding something from him, something that had to do with his mother and he planned on finding out what it was.

Mia was bored that night alone in her apartment mindlessly flipping through every channel on TV. She couldn't go out and drink because she was pregnant and Savi was away with Jake on a business trip he had to make. Steve only talked to her to make sure she was doing okay and to see if she needed anything. She missed him and wished he would be there with her holding her in his strong arms. Mia was beginning to doze off when a firm knock on the door woke her up.

"Who is it?" she asked as she walked towards the door.

"Steve," was said on the other side.

Mia opened the door to find Steve standing there with his hands in his pockets looking mighty handsome in his tuxedo with the bow tie undone along with the first two buttons of the shirt. She remembered that he and Danny, along with Gracie, had been invited to the Victoria's Secret fashion show after saving one of the model's lives. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course, you don't have to ask," she said opening the door wider and stepping aside to let him come in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her softly as Mia closed the door and he just stood there by the entrance.

Mia turned to face him and said, "Physically I'm fine." She wanted to touch him but she wasn't sure of what his reaction would be so she crossed her arms in front of her and walked to the couch. She patted the spot next to her to see if Steve would sit next to her and she was glad when he did.

"Mia, you know I love you and I don't want you to ever doubt that. Maybe I overreacted when I saw you getting out of Derek's car but you have to understand where I'm coming from. I don't know who this guy is all I know is that you two went out for five years, that's a long time don't you think? Heck, even longer than what you and I went out for counting the two times together," he said with a small chuckle. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't feel comfortable with you two being so friendly. Now I'm not telling you to not be friends with him or anything like that. I love you and I trust you enough to know you're honest when you say he's just a friend but I don't trust him. I saw the way he looked at you when he bumped into you at the doctor's and the other day when he dropped you off at headquarters. That guy obviously still has feelings for you."

"That's ridiculous, he does not have any feelings for me but those of a friend and even if he did, he'd be wasting his time because I only have eyes for a certain Navy Seal," she said as she moved closer to Steve hugging his arm and looking into his blue eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that but I want you to take into consideration what I just told you."

Mia nodded. "I will," she said and placed a small kiss on his lips glad to have that out of the way.

"There's something else we need to talk about," he said turning to face away from her knowing she wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"What is it?" she asked taking in the fact that he had purposely turned away to avoid her gaze.

Steve took a breath and said, "I think you should move in with me, into my house." Steve was right if her pulling away was any indication of it.

Mia let out a small laugh as she stood and turned away. "That's funny babe but remember we weren't going to make any plans any time soon?"

"I know but-"

"But what?" she snapped as she turned to face him. "Now that Derek is in Hawaii you feel threatened and think that by making me move in with you it will solve everything?"

Steve stood as he tried to grab Mia's hand but she backed away. "Mia, that's not it. You know Derek has nothing to do with this."

"I don't know anything Steve! You just told me not so long ago how Derek being here made you feel and now you want me to move in with you?"

"That has nothing to do with it! Dammit Mia will you just listen to me for once?" he demanded as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair while the other one was on his hip. "I think that you moving in with me is the best option for us and the baby. There's plenty of space and we wouldn't have to worry about who's staying where, especially when the baby comes. You know I've been trying to talk to you about this since before I knew of Derek's existence."

"What about this apartment? It's the same thing. Why can't you move in here with me?" she countered as she raised her chin.

"Mia you know my mom is living with me and I need to protect her and this apartment was only given to you temporarily. Eventually the case if going to be over and you're going to have to move out."

Mia sat on the couch in defeat. "You don't get it Steve," she said in a small whisper.

"Then help me get it Mia. Help me understand why you're so against us planning our future," he told her as he sat next to her and took her hand in his.

"The plan was for me to come, do my job, and go back to New York. I never planned on any of this happening and I'm scared. It's all happening so fast. I'm scared of the story repeating itself," she said finally letting Steve know what her real fear was. "I'm afraid you'll leave again and I'll lose my baby."

Steve finally understood her reluctance. He hugged her close to him and said, "You can't be scared of something we can't control Mia. We don't know what might happen tomorrow or a few years from now and if you let fear guide your life then you won't be able to enjoy the beauty of it. I'm never going to walk away from you so you can stop worrying about that because you're stuck with me," he said earning him a small laugh from Mia. "Now who's to say you're the one that ends up leaving me. You said so yourself, New York is your new home, it's waiting for you once you're done with the case here. If anything I should be worrying about that and how when the case is over you'll pack your bags and take our child with you."

"I wouldn't do that to you Steve. It wouldn't be fair and now that I have you back I wouldn't be so stupid to leave you. Yeah New York is waiting for me but I don't want to think about that right now. I don't think I'll be able to go back and take orders from someone I hate so much."

Steve nodded, "I understand but there's a lot of things that in time we'll have to decide on. For now we have to worry about you and this baby. I need you to think about it."

Mia wiped her tear-stained cheeks as she nodded in agreement. "I will," she promised.

Steve nodded and stood to pace the living room. "Mia, last time you were with my mother, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" she asked looking at him.

"I know you lied to me about something regarding my mother and I want to know what it is," Steve said as he crossed his arms in front of him and gave her a no bullshit look.

Mia knew he would eventually question her and Chris Channing was right, Steve didn't believe her when they spoke on the phone. She really hope her years of experience lying while undercover helped her right now because she was about to lie to Steve once more. "Nothing happened Steve. I told you, we just talked for a while, lost track of time," she said shrugging her shoulders sounding as truthful as possible. "I told her about the baby and she was really happy for us. She hasn't mentioned it to you?"

Steve gave her a skeptical look. Mia looked like she was saying the truth but then again she was trained to lie. She also was looking him straight in the eyes as she spoke so he guessed she wouldn't lie to his face so he decided to believe her. "No she didn't. I actually haven't seen much of her lately," Steve said as he sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of Mia.

Mia nodded and decided to change the subject before Steve decided to ask more questions. "So how was the fashion show? Did you get any numbers from the models?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Steve smiled. "No and if I did I would have thrown them into the first trash bin I saw or given them to Danny."

Mia snorted and rolled her eyes. "Right, like I'll believe that one."

"I only have eyes for you Mia. After all these years I wouldn't be stupid to ruin what we have," Steve genuinely said as he moved to sit next Mia and bringing her to him from the waist and nuzzling her hair. "But seriously, I think you would have enjoyed it more than me. Fashion shows are simply not my thing. Next time I'll give you my pass and maybe you'll see something you like, like a few pieces of those things they modeled," he whispered against her ear sending chills down Mia's whole body.

"Oh, really? Anything in particular?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Well there were these things, I'm not sure what you call them, but I bet you'd look very hot in them," he whispered moving her hair out of the way to give him access to her neck and trailing small kisses all the way to her jaw.

"Hmm," she moaned in response at the sensations Steve's kisses and breath on her neck were causing. "I think then we'll have to visit one of those stores soon so you can show me exactly what caught your attention."

"Definitely," he agreed as he flipped her over to face him and laid her on the couch and wasted no more time as he took his sweet time and made love to her.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Don't forget to review...  
**

**I've been working around some ideas I have for other stories, mostly Steve related, but I want to know what some of you would be interested in reading. I plan on finishing this story first before I decide to post anything new. I don't want to leave anything halfway so any and all suggestions/comments are welcome.  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Once again thank you for the reviews and please keep them coming. I am not sure if there is an FBI office in Hawaii but for the sake of the story there is.**

**francis2:Thank you! :)**

**Flawless438:I look forward to reading your ideas ;)**

**HeavenSpent:Thank you! :)**

**Chapter 26  
**

A week later Mia found herself waiting outside the governor's office dressed in a navy blue wrap dress and black pumps. She had to talk to the governor about her current state and what that would mean to her job.

"Miss Summers, Governor Denning is ready to see you," the secretary informed Mia.

Mia stood and smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Miss Summers," the governor greeted as he extended his hand, which she politely shook and then took a seat on the chair he motioned to. "I've been expecting this visit since I heard about an incident that sent you to the hospital. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing much better Governor, in fact, that's why I am here," Mia said looking into Denning's eyes. "As you probably already know, I am pregnant and I wanted to tell you in person even though you probably know already."

"Yes, I've been informed," he said as he regarded her. "I do have to admit I'm a bit disappointed Miss Summers. You were highly recommended for this job and now in your situation I'm not quite sure if you're fit for the job."

"I understand, Governor, but I can assure you that I am still capable of doing my job perfectly fine. I may not be able to go out on the field but I can still manage to do many things from the office if you gave me the chance. Of course, I'll understand whatever decision you make," Mia said her gaze never wavering from the Governor's.

"Look Miss Summers, your person life is that, personal. I've read the reports and the comments from other officers. They all speak highly of you and your professionalism. In fact, I think you've actually helped the image of the Task-Force but you have to understand that your relationship with Commander McGarret worries me," he said.

"I don't understand why Governor," Mia asked confused.

"I'm afraid your relationship with Commander McGarret will cloud your judgment when it comes to handling certain cases, WoFat to be more precise," he said getting to the point. "As you're very well aware of, Commander McGarret has a personal reason to want WoFat locked up and I do not blame him but he still has a job to do and his personal vendetta has gotten him in trouble more than once. I don't want that to happen with you too."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Mia asked not sure what the Governor was trying to get at.

"To keep it simple, I don't want your feelings and your connection to the McGarret family to come in the way of doing your job correctly. If I decide to keep you on the assignment I will need your word that you will leave all personal matters and connections to the McGarret's away while working on this case. I will definitely keep a closer eye on you and the case. If at any time I deem you are not fit for the job any longer you will be off the case. Are we clear?" he asked.

"I am a professional when it comes to my job, Sir. I can assure you I will not allow anything to come in the way of doing my job correctly and if at any time I feel like I'm letting the two mix I will personally take myself off the case," Mia promised.

"Very well, now that we understand each other, I don't see why you can not do your job. If that is all Agent Summers, I do have a full agenda to get to," the Governor said clearly dismissing her as he stood up.

"Actually, there is one more thing," Mia said looking up at him.

The Governor sat down once more. "I'm listening," he said giving her his full attention once more.

"I'm planning on asking for a transfer," she said. "I plan on making my stay in Hawaii permanent and I want to ask for a transfer to the offices here."

"I see," he said as he placed his chin in between his thumb and forefinger.

"Yes and I know you are close friends with Peter Donovan, or Peter Summers, whichever sounds more familiar to you," Mia said looking into Denning's eyes and seeing the recognition in them. "I know I am doing this job as a favor you asked of him but I want to ask you for a favor."

"And that is?" he asked.

"I want you to help me facilitate my transfer from New York to the island. I know if you talk to Peter he won't put any roadblocks in the process," Mia said.

"Why do you think he'll make the transfer difficult for you?" Denning asked.

"I don't know if he will or not but I don't want to take any chances," Mia said. "I think you already know everything that has happened so I won't rehash all the details but I'm doing this most importantly for my child. I want to raise my child on this island with its father."

"I won't question your motives Miss Summers and I will see what I can do," Denning said.

Mia nodded. "Thank you and I also want to thank you for the apartment and car you've let me borrow but I won't need them anymore. I will be moving in with Steve and well we don't need the apartment." she said.

"I understand, but the vehicle is yours to keep Miss Summers. It was given to you as a thank you for your services," he said.

Mia was perplexed. "What?" she asked confused. "I thought it was just temporary until I-"

"No Miss Summers. I guess I should've been clearer before but the car is yours to keep," he said. "I won't take no for an answer."

"I, well, thank you," she said flushed not knowing what to say. Standing up, she said, "I'll leave you to your agenda now and thank you once more, for everything."

The Governor stood up and shook Mia's hand and then led her to the door.

"Peter, Peter, I don't know how you're going to solve this mess you got yourself into," the Governor thought after Mia left feeling sorry for his long time friend and the situation he got into with his daughter.

* * *

Mia arrived at headquarters to find Chin and Kono furiously searching something on the computer table. Maybe another case, she thought. "Hey guys, heard from Danny and Steve yet? Are they back from their camping trip?" Mia asked knowing Steve and Danny had gone camping with Grace and her girls scout group.

Kono and Chin exchanged a nervous glance at each other alerting Mia right away that something was not right. "What's with the look? What happened? Did something happen to them?" she asked as her voice shook with worry.

"We got a call from Danny," Chin began. "Last night an armed man shot Danny in the arm, but he's fine."

"Steve? Where's Steve? Is he okay?" Mia asked glancing at both cousins. "Someone say something, where's Steve?"

"Steve was taken hostage along with one of Grace's friends," Kono said. "We already send a rescue team their way and Chin is about to go with them."

"I'm coming with you," she said looking at Chin ready to leave when he was.

"I'm sorry Mia but I can't allow that. Steve wouldn't want to put you in a danger zone," Chin said.

"He's right Mia. You have to think about the baby," Kono said.

"I have to make sure he's okay," Mia said her eyes brimming with tears.

"Hey," Chin said softly placing both hands on her arms. "We will find Steve and bring him back in one piece, I promise."

Mia nodded. "Okay, but please don't let anything happen to him," Mia begged worried for Steve and knowing Chin and Kono were right. She had a baby to worry about now.

Chin nodded and after he made sure he had everything he had, he left.

Mia tried to relax and clear her mind. She knew she wasn't much help if she continued to think about Steve being held hostage, so she took a deep breath and joined Kono at the computer table.

"So I heard Adam's brother was back on the island," Mia asked trying to distract herself with another topic.

"Yeah and I already heard the third degree from Chin so you can save it," Kono said sounding a bit more harsh than she intended to. Sighing she turned to look at Mia, "I'm sorry, that wasn't necessary."

"No it wasn't," Mia agreed, "but I understand. Chin is just worried about you. From what I heard, the guy is bad news."

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Didn't you give Steve a second one?" Kono pointed out.

"The difference is that Steve never committed a crime but you're right," Mia said raising her hands when she noticed Kono was about to protest. "This is none of my business and you know what you're getting yourself into. Just be careful okay?"

Kono smiled. "I'll be fine, but thank you for worrying about me," Kono said.

A few hours later, Kono received a call from Chin saying they'd found Steve and Lucy and they were on their way to the HQ.

Mia was thankful and glad that nothing had happened to either one. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to Steve and she was glad she didn't have to find out.

* * *

An hour later, Steve walked into HQ with Chin. Danny had gone home with Grace. Steve was dirty, sweaty, and tired but glad to be back in one piece. He spotted Mia and Kono right away and saw how distressed Mia looked. When she spotted him, she ran into his arms not caring if he was dirty and smelling awful.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad nothing happened to you," she sobbed into his neck hugging him hard against her. "I was so worried."

"Hey, I'm fine. I had everything under control," Steve said running a hand over Mia's soft hair. "Thanks to Danny and Chin, I'm here safe and sound."

Mia pulled slightly away from Steve and held him at arms length. "I'm sorry," she said giving him a small smile. "I think being pregnant has my hormones in overdrive. Look at me, I'm a mess."

"You're a beautiful mess," he said, "but I'm not and I would be really happy to just go home and shower."

Mia wiped her cheeks and nodded. "Yes, yes of course. I'll drive you."

Turning towards the team he said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They nodded and Kono said, "Glad to have you back in one piece boss."

"Thanks Kono," Steve said offering her a smile.

* * *

Mia let Steve drive her car to her apartment. She just wanted to look at Steve and make sure he was really there with her after the scare from possibly losing him. Maybe she was overacting a bit but she couldn't keep her emotions under control and she hated it.

"I really am fine," Steve said after riding in the car in complete silence and noticing Mia still wouldn't let go of his hand making him having to manage with just one hand. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze and briefly looking at her he said, "You can relax. Remember, stress is not good for you."

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm just really glad nothing bad happened to you," she said. "And I'm also glad Danny's wound was nothing to worry about."

"I'll make sure to tell him," Steve said as he pulled into Mia's parking spot in the underground garage of her building. "Right now all I want is a nice and warm shower and then go to sleep with my beautiful but very worrisome girlfriend."

Steve leaned over and captured Mia in a full kiss leaving her breathless.

"Come on, let's go," he said getting out of the car.

Mia happily followed Steve.

* * *

Mia prepared something light for Steve to eat before going to bed and she was serving it when he came out dressed in just a pair of grey sweatpants.

"Where did you go all dressed up today?" Steve said motioning to her blue dress and noticing that she was still wearing her black pumps. He didn't know how she tolerated being in those shoes for such a long time. "Not that I mind, you look very professional and very hot," he said giving her one of his famous smirks.

Steve never ceased to make her blush even after all these years whenever he complimented her. She put a plate of food on the table for him to eat and sat next to him with just a small plate of fruit and yogurt. She didn't think she could tolerate much food after all the worrying.

"I had a meeting with the Governor," Mia said looking at her plate as she spoke. When she looked up she saw Steve looking at her with curiosity and waiting for her to go on. "I had to talk to him about what's going on, with me being pregnant and everything."

"Oh, you didn't mention you were going to see him," Steve said as he resumed his eating.

"I know and I didn't mention it on purpose. I wanted to talk to him first before I talked to you," Mia said. "I thought he was going to take me off the case, WoFat, and the team."

"He can't do that just because you're pregnant," Steve said.

"Yes, he can, Steve. I was brought to Hawaii for the sole purpose of solving a case, not getting knocked up by the Task-Force's leader," Mia said. "I would understand if he took me off the case because it was very unprofessional of me."

"Do you regret it?" Steve asked softly not looking up from his plate but not eating any more.

"No of course not," she quickly assured him placing a hand on top of his balled fist. "I love you Steve and I love this baby that we're going to have but it's the truth. I let myself get pregnant when I was in the middle of a very important assignment. It was very unprofessional, I accept that, but it was also the best thing that happened to me. Don't ever think I regret it because I don't."

Steve seemed satisfied with her answer and nodded. He looked up and into her eyes. "I still think it's none of his business but what did he say? Did he take you off the case?"

Mia shook her head. "No," she said, "but he is going to keep a closer eye on me."

"Why's that?" Steve asked confused.

"He thinks that my relationship with you will cloud my judgment when it comes to WoFat and how you're personally affected by all this. I don't blame him for thinking that but I was quick to assure him that if that ever happened I would be the first one to take myself off the case," she said looking at Steve. "Steve you have to understand that even though capturing WoFat means getting revenge for your father's death, I cannot let that block me from doing my job. I was brought here to do a job and I plan on seeing it through. I'm telling this just because if the time ever comes where you're putting me in a difficult position I want you to know that I will do my job the way it's supposed to be done. Now that doesn't mean that you won't have my support, I just can't be a part of whatever it is you do when you have him in front of you. I take my job seriously and I want that man to pay for all the crimes he's committed, including the murder of your father, but we cannot take justice into our own hands."

"I understand Mia and I would never put you in a position like that especially now that we have our child to worry about," Steve said leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms across his chest.

"There's something else," Mia said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm asking for a transfer," Mia said.

That got Steve's quick attention. Leaning closer he asked, "What do you mean? A transfer, where?"

"To Hawaii," Mia said twisting her fingers on her lap.

"I'm sorry; you're going to have to be clearer. I don't understand," Steve said.

Mia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I told the governor I was going to ask to be transferred to Hawaii because I want to raise our child here, with its family and I asked him to help me facilitate the process in case Peter made things difficult," Mia said not looking Steve in the eyes.

Steve smiled at what he was hearing. "You really want to stay here permanently Mia?"

Mia nodded.

"I don't want to you to feel pressured in any way. If you really don't want to stay in Hawaii you can tell me and we'll figure something out," Steve said placing a hand under Mia's chin to lift her face up and make her look at him.

"This is what I want Steve, really. This is home and maybe at first I didn't want to be here but now everything's changed. This is where we both grew up and this is where I want our child to be raised," Mia said giving Steve a bright and reassuring smile.

Steve stood up and brought Mia up with him embracing her in his arms. "You have no idea how happy you are making me right now. I love you so much and hearing you say that makes me love you even more," he said bringing his head down to kiss Mia on the lips.

"I love you too Steve and nothing would make me happier than to be here with you," Mia whispered against his lips. She kissed him one more time and then said, "And if the offer still stands, I'll move into your home."

Steve pulled away from Mia. "Seriously?" he asked clearly surprised by the turn of events.

Mia nodded and gave him a shy smile. "Unless you changed your mind…" she said.

Steve hugged her one more time and brought her off her feet as he twirled her around in his arms once, causing Mia to laugh out loud, and then he put her down on her feet holding her to help steady her. "Changed my mind? No way. Now that you've finally agreed to move in with me, I'm definitely not changing my mind," he said kissing her fully.

"That's good Commander," Mia said in a breathless voice. "I guess we have some packing to do."

Steve nodded. "Yes, but first I want to show you how happy you're making me," he said as he carried her in his arms all the way to the room and gently put her down on the bed as he hovered over her. "I love you so much Mia, don't ever doubt that."

"I won't and I love you so much too," she said as she caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers.

"Marry me," Steve stated in a husky voice as he looked into Mia's hazel eyes.

"What?" Mia asked clearly shocked, never expecting a marriage proposal from Steve.

"Marry me Mia, become my wife, have my children, and grow old with me," Steve said once more. "You're my best friend Mia, my lover, and the mother of my children, because even though we never had the chance to meet the first one, he was still ours. I want to raise our children together, under the same roof and grow old with you. I know we haven't been together for a long time but we already lost a lot of time together and I don't want to lose anymore."

"Steve, I – I don't know what to say," Mia said, bewildered by Steve's proposal. They had never talked about marriage and she didn't think it was something he wanted even though she had always dreamed about getting married one day, what girl didn't ever have those kinds of dreams?

"Say yes," he whispered placing a small kiss on her lips.

Mia brought her hands around Steve's neck and ran her hands through his hair looking into his eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want? I'm not expecting anything from you Steve. I would be perfectly content to just live with you and raise our family together."

Steve grabbed one of Mia's hands and brought it to his lips. "I've never been surer of anything than I am right now Mia. I want us to be husband and wife. I know how much you always dreamed about your fairy tale wedding and I want to give it all to you," he said.

"Oh my," Mia said unable to stop the tears that fell from her eyes.

Steve wiped them away with his thumb. "No tears please, I just want to make you happy," he said.

"I am happy Steve and nothing would make me happier than to be your wife," she said smiling through the tears that had a mind of their own and continued to fall freely. "Yes. Yes I'll marry you and be your wife and have your children and grow old with you."

"Oh God Mia, I love you so, so much," he said as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss and then proceeded to demonstrate how much he really loved her and how happy she made him.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and don't forget to review...**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank you again for the few reviews I received, although I would really love to hear from everyone that is reading the story. Here's the next part and once again, I do not own anything related to Hawaii Five-O but the characters I created. I simply borrowed the lines from the show and some things may not have been exactly as they were said on the show, but either way I hope you enjoy , some events may not be in order according to the show. I decided to put scenes from episode 16, "Kekoa" and then a small reference to Episode 14 in the next chapter, which is almost done.  
**

**Oh and yeah, you will find out in this chapter exactly how Mia lost the baby. I know people have been waiting and asking me to know and here it is, finally! :)**

**Chapter 27**

Four months later, Christmas and New Year's had passed and now they were entering February. Mia and Steve had everything ready for the wedding that was set to take place in a week. It was not going to be anything big or extravagant. All Steve and her wanted was their closest friends with them on a very special day, including Steve's mother and sister, who were already speaking to each other.

Mia was upstairs in Danny's house checking some things in a box that Danny mentioned she might have forgotten and he didn't know if she wanted to leave them there. Mia said she was going to check her car to see if the box would fit so she could take it with her. As she was going to go downstairs, her cell phone started ringing causing her stop at the top of the stairs to see who it was.

Danny was coming down the hall as Mia was just ending a call. He placed a hand on the small of her back to get her attention when Mia started freaking out catching him completely off guard.

"Let go of me! Don't touch me!" she screamed as she tried kicking him off her but Danny quickly grabbed her from the waist and pulled her to him and away from the stairs because she was too close and her erratic behavior could send them both flying down the stairs.

"Hey Mia, calm down, it's okay. It's me Danny, come on it's okay," he said trying to get her attention to calm her down. Danny didn't know what got into her and he was honestly freaked out about it as he leaned against the wall holding her tightly against him afraid that if he let go of her she was going to do something crazy. "It's okay Mia, shh."

Mia slowly started coming to her senses and as she realized what had just happened she let the tears fall freely from her eyes. "I'm sorry Danny," she whispered against his shoulder.

"It's okay, just breathe in slowly and let it out," he consoled as he ran a hand through her hair while the other was still on her waist. "Come one lets sit you down."

Mia let Danny guide her down onto the floor, leaning against the wall.

A few minutes later, when he saw that she had finally calmed down and her breathing had returned to normal, Danny took her hand in his and apologized. "I'm sorry for sneaking up on you like that. I never meant to scare you that way. I should have made some noise or called out for you."

Mia squeezed his hand and said, "No Danny, you don't need to apologize. None of this was your fault and I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that. It's just, when you touched me, everything came back so vividly and I lost it for a moment. I'm sorry if I hurt you or freaked you out."

"What happened, Mia? What did you remember?" he asked her, genuine concern written all over his face. "Want to talk about it?"

"This is where I lost my baby when I was younger. I fell down these stairs," she told him, her gaze lost somewhere behind Danny.

Danny sighed, understanding dawning on him. "I'm sorry Mia I didn't know."

Mia shook her head. "I know. There was no way you could have known."

Danny nodded and they stayed quiet for a minute until Danny noticed something else was troubling Mia. "Is there something else?" he asked her softly.

Mia shook her head while the tears came out unable to stop them. Placing her face in her hands, Mia cried out, "It was her."

Danny could barely understand what Mia was saying. "Her? Who?"

"My mom," came out in a muffled voice.

"I'm sorry, babe, you're going to have to uncover your face so I can understand you," he said as he tried to remove her hands from her face.

"It was my mom," she said more clearly as she lifted her head from her face and looked at Danny straight into his eyes.

"Your mom?" Danny asked clearly confused. "What was your mom?"

Mia wiped her cheeks and turning her gaze to her right to look at the stairs she said, "When my mother found out I was pregnant she didn't take the news too well. I mean, no parent would ever be dancing with joy after finding out their fifteen year-old daughter is pregnant, but she had already had a few drinks that night. We started arguing. She called me all sorts of things and I just couldn't take it so I tried to get away from it, from her. My plan was to get out of the house, go to Savannah's house but my mother was hot on my heels demanding that I get back. When I refused to stop she caught up to me right there, on the landing, and grabbed me from my arm. I was begging her to let me go, to stop pulling me the way she was because I knew what would happen if she didn't stop. We were so close, so close and when I finally freed my arm from her grasp, I turned to run down the stairs but she pushed me. She pushed her own daughter down the stairs! Tell me, Danny, what kind of mother does that to their own daughter?" she finished, turning to look at Danny with tears in her eyes.

Danny was shocked at what he just heard and angry for what Mia's mother had done to her. He didn't know what to say. What could possibly be said in a situation like this?

"Don't bother saying anything Danny. It's okay you don't have to," she said, seeing how he was struggling for words.

"I'm sorry Mia, I just, wow, it infuriates me how a mother could be so cold and do something so cruel," he said not knowing how to articulate what he was thinking.

"Some mother, if you can even call her that and to top it off, the man who I thought was my friend, an angel sent to me, ends up being my biological father. Tell me, how crazy is that?" she said with a humorless laugh. "I'm just glad this baby will have two parents that really love him, or her," she said as she placed a hand on her growing bump and smiled a genuine smile after everything that had happened in the last hour or so.

Danny nodded returning the smile. Suddenly Danny remembered something. "What does Steve have to say about all this?"

Mia snapped her head up. "Steve doesn't know, Danny, and I don't want him to know. Please Danny you can't tell him anything," she begged him. "If Steve finds out, he's going to lose it and I can't handle that right now. There's already so much going on and he doesn't need this too."

"Mia, he has every right to know," he said incredulously. "How do you expect me to go to work every day and look him in the eyes knowing something he doesn't?"

"Please Danny, don't say anything. I understand you're his friend but I need you to please keep this to yourself."

Danny hesitated. He knew he shouldn't agree to this but Mia had confided in him and this wasn't his secret to tell. Mia would tell Steve when she was ready. He just hoped it would be soon. "Alright, but," he said raising a hand to stop her from saying something, "you have to promise to tell him as soon as you're ready, hopefully soon."

Mia readily nodded. "Yes, I give you my word Danny. Thank you, really."

* * *

Meanwhile downstairs, Steve quietly let himself out of Mia's house, now Danny's, after everything he'd just heard. He couldn't digest everything he had just heard Mia tell Danny. Now Steve understood Mia's reluctance to talk about what had happened. No one in their right mind would ever want to remember something like that and Mia wasn't the exception. He just didn't understand why Mia didn't tell him and it hurt.

Steve had gone to Danny's house to help him with some things he needed to fix when he walked in and heard crying and Danny trying to console someone upstairs. At first he thought he was talking to Grace but when he heard Mia he worried and was about to climb the stairs to see what was going on. What came out of Mia's mouth made him stop for some unknown reason and now he was glad he hadn't made his presence known because then he wouldn't know what he knew now.

* * *

Mia got home around four in the afternoon to find it empty, which was weird because Steve had said he would be here all day. She called his cell phone but it went straight to voicemail so she decided to leave him a message.

"Hey babe, it's me I just want to know what you're up to since you said you would be home all day. Anyway, give me a call," she ended the call and went upstairs to lay down for a bit. She felt tired from her meltdown at Danny's.

Steve got home about an hour after listening to Mia's voicemail. He had gone for a ride after leaving Danny's house and somehow ended up in the cemetery where his father was buried. Steve felt like he needed time to clear his mind after what he'd heard but even after spending time alone he still couldn't shake the anger he felt. He was angry at everything and everyone. Steve felt like he couldn't trust anyone and everything that came out of people's mouth were nothing but lies.

Mia should have confided in him. She should have told him exactly what happened no matter how painful it had been. He had every right to know.

"Hey, did you just get here?" Mia asked interrupting Steve from his thoughts. "I called but it went straight to voicemail."

Steve studied Mia to see if he saw something, anything. All he saw was how tired she looked and her eyes were slightly puffy, maybe from sleep he thought.

"Are you alright?" she asked him as she came to stand in front of him grabbing his arms to wrap them around her.

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly as he just looked into Mia's eyes.

Mia stood on her toes and placed a kiss on Steve's lips and held them there for a second but Steve didn't respond. "Babe, what's wrong?" she asked feeling Steve's body tense up when she kissed him.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said as he gently moved her to the side and walked to the other side of the island. "I'm going to go for a swim."

Mia frowned. "You're not hungry? I thought maybe we would eat together," she said.

"I'm not hungry. You can go ahead and eat without me," he said as he walked out of the kitchen and went to change into his swim trunks.

Mia couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with Steve. She thought about this morning and everything was fine before she left. Maybe he's just nervous about the wedding next week.

Mia smiled at the reminder of her pending wedding. In just one week she would be a married woman, married to the man she loved and the father of her child. Everything was ready. She had her dress and the ceremony and small celebration would all take place in the house's backyard. That's the way Mia wanted it, small and simple with only their closest friends with them and Steve had agreed to everything.

* * *

When Steve came out of the water an hour later, he found Mia sitting in one of the lounging chairs holding his towel out for him. He grabbed it and began drying himself.

"I was beginning to worry. You were out there for a while," Mia said standing up.

"I guess I lost track of time," he said with a shrug as he placed the towel over his shoulders and sensing how close Mia was now.

"Are you mad at me?" Mia asked as she looked up at Steve with questioning eyes.

Steve bent down to grab his sandals and began walking towards the house. "No," he said over his shoulder to Mia who was following him. "Why should I be mad at you?"

"I don't know. This morning you were fine and when you got home you seemed distant, cold, distracted. In fact, you still are," Mia said suddenly bumping into Steve's hard back after he abruptly stopped.

"I guess I'm just tired of everything," he said turning to face Mia. "Lately, all that comes out of people's mouths are lies, nothing but lies. I know my mother is hiding something from me and as much as I've tried to figure it out, I got nothing."

"Maybe you should let it go Steve. I'm sure if she's in trouble or needs your help she'll come to you," she said looking into his intense stare.

"What about you Mia?" he asked.

"What about me?" Mia asked confused.

"Should I let go of the fact that you're keeping something important from me, something I have every right to know, and yet you managed to confide in someone you've barely known for a few months?" he retorted.

"I'm not sure I understand Steve," Mia nervously said as she searched Steve's eyes and knowing he was mad at her for something.

"Oh I think you do Mia. When you're ready to talk to me without any more lies you know where to find me," he said and then walked into the house and left her standing in the middle of the backyard confused.

* * *

What in the world was Steve talking about, Mia thought as she paced in her bedroom. Surely Steve didn't know anything about his mother and Mangosta and from what she could remember, there wasn't anything she could recall keeping from him. If everything was fine this morning then something must have happened in between the time she was out of the house and the time he got home. Mia rubbed her baby bump as she thought about what exactly Steve thought she was keeping from him. The only secret she had was his mother's secret but that wasn't hers to tell. Besides that, nothing came to mind, unless...

Mia suddenly came rushing down the stairs looking for Steve. She found him in the garage in dry clothes working on the car his father had left him.

"Steve," Mia said but was rewarded with silence. "Steve where were you while I was gone?"

Steve knew she had figured it out. He stopped what he was doing but didn't look at Mia as he stood in front of the open hood of the car putting the full weight of his body in his arms t leaning on the car's open hood. "Why?" he asked.

"You weren't here when I got home and you said you would be here the whole day," she said to his back.

Steve straightened and turned to look at Mia. "Danny called. He said he needed help fixing something in the house so I went to help him out," he said shrugging his shoulders as he wiped his hands on a towel without looking at her.

"I was at Danny's," she said as she placed a shaking hand on her stomach.

"I know," he said softly as he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers.

Mia saw it in his eyes. He knew. He'd heard everything she told Danny.

Steve saw the color leave Mia's face and saw a mix of emotions cross her face but what stood out the most was fear. "Why, Mia? That's all I want to know. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her.

Mia felt a tear slide down her cheek but she didn't bother wiping it away. "I was afraid," she said in a small voice.

"You were _afraid_? Afraid of what?" he asked slightly tilting his head to the right and his eyes becoming red from the burning caused the tears he felt welling in his eyes but he swallowed the lump in his throat as he waited for Mia to say something.

"I was afraid of your reaction. She's _my_ mother Steve," Mia cried out.

"She _killed_ _our_ child Mia," Steve said raising his voice at the incredulity of what he was hearing. "She pushed you down the stairs while you were pregnant and you still _defend_ her?"

"I shouldn't have run from her. Everything was my fault. I got her mad when she was inebriated. That was my mistake," Mia said.

"Stop just stop," Steve demanded as he paced the length of the garage and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "How could you stand there and defend her? After everything she did to you, you still can't see it. Your mother _hated _you Mia! It's like she blamed you for everything that happened to her. Even a blind man could see that. There's _no_ excuse for what she did!"

Mia was fully crying now. Why was Steve telling her all this? Did he want to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him for not telling him. Well he certainly accomplished his goal. "If your goal was to hurt me, well congratulations, you've succeeded," Mia said in between sobs.

"Oh no, Mia, don't you try to turn this on me," he said coming to stand a few feet in front of her and pointing a finger at her. "_You_ kept something I had every right to know. You didn't confide in me but yet you managed to tell Danny? Are you that afraid of me?"

Mia shook her head. "No, Steve, that's not it."

"Then explain it to me!" he bellowed raising his hands in frustration.

Mia flinched. "I was just there to pick up some box I forgot and I was going to check if I had room in the car for it but just when I was coming down the stairs I got a call from Savannah. When I ended the call I didn't hear Danny until he placed a hand on my back to get my attention and then I just freaked out. Everything from that day came flooding back and I couldn't seem to stop it. Danny grabbed me from the waist and pulled me away from the stairs and sat me on the floor until I calmed down. Then everything just came out."

"Why did you make him promise you not to tell me?" he asked wanting explanations.

"For this exact reason Steve," Mia said pointing at their current situation. "I knew you were going to lose it and I was afraid you would do something stupid. Tell me, where did you go afterwards?"

"I needed time to absorb everything I'd just heard so I just drove around and then ended up in my father's gravesite," he said. "You're right, if you're mother were here she would be paying for everything she's done and so help me God, Mia, if she ever dares to come anywhere close to this island I will not be held accountable for my actions. Let's just get one thing straight. You are in _no way_ responsible for what happened that day and please _stop_ defending her! She could have killed _you_ in the process."

"Please Steve, don't do anything stupid," she begged him as she went to him and clutched his shirt in her fists. "I wouldn't be able the take it if something happened to you."

Steve hated seeing Mia like this but she had to start talking to him with the truth. He didn't know how many more lies he could take. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her as she cried. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Mia, we can't do this anymore. I always have to be the last one to find out things that concern not only you but me as well. You have to start talking to me with the truth if we want this to work out."

Mia looked up at Steve. "I'm sorry, I know I'm always saying sorry for everything and it doesn't change anything but I really am sorry. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you," she said and then threw her arms around him and hugged him hard.

Steve slowly ran a soothing hand up and down her back and kissed her temple. "Come on," he said gently removing her arms from him and placing one of his arms over her shoulder as he led her back into the house. "It's getting late and today has been a rollercoaster ride. You need to rest."

Steve led Mia up the stairs and into their bedroom where she changed into one of his shirts while he was in the shower. When he came out only his night light was on and Mia as already tucked in bed facing his side. He got in bed after putting on sweatpants, turned off the light, and brought Mia closer to him placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"I love you Mia," he whispered. "In one week you'll be my wife and I want us to start our life as a married couple with no more lies."

"I love you too, so much," she whispered back. "I can't wait to be your wife." She looked up at him in the darkness and placed a small kiss on his lips but this time Steve kissed her back.

"Go to sleep now," he said gently as he massaged her six month baby bump and felt Mia snuggle into him with a contented sigh and slowly they both drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

A few days later Steve went to pay a visit to an old friend.

"Mick?" he called out. As Steve continued to walk through the house and out to the patio he spotted a beautiful Hawaiian coming out of the pool. "Aloha," he said after she greeted him.

"I see you've met Brittney," Mick said.

"I see you haven't changed," Steve said as he hugged his long time friend.

"It's good to see you Steve, it has been too long," Mick said. "Come on sit down. So I hear you're running some kind of Task Force now. Good to know your talents haven't gone to waste."

"Same to you, pal. Looks like the private sector is paying well," Steve commented as he observed Mick's beautiful home.

"Yeah well after twenty-five years of Navy Intel it's either hang the shingle or buy a rocking chair so I hung the shingle," he said shrugging.

"That's why I came to see you Mick," Steve said sitting down looking at the yellow envelope in his hands. "I want to hire you for your services. I need a full surveillance package on this target."

Mick got the envelope Steve handed him and took out a picture of a female. "Who is she?" he asked.

"My mother," Steve said" Steve said looking at Mick.

"Kid you don't need a P.I. you need a therapist," Mick said.

"Trust me, she's not your average mom," Steve said and then went on to explain what Doris did. "She says she's changed but I don't believe it. She goes dark for a few hours and I want to know what she's up to."

"Don't you have people-"

"No, no I don't want my people involved," Steve said interrupting him. "Besides I want the best that's why I came to you."

They arranged their deal and then Steve got called in to work, leaving Mick to handle the situation as best as he could.

* * *

The next day, Mia and Steve were enjoying a quiet night in with Steve reminiscing his Navy Seal days by eating Navy food when Doris came down the stairs interrupting their make-out session looking very fancy in her black dress.

"If you two keep going at it like you are I wouldn't be surprised baby number two to be on the way right after the first one," Doris said. "Mia can you help me with this necklace please?"

Mia blushed and stood up to help Doris with the necklace. "You look great, what's the occasion?" Mia asked Doris.

"I've got a date," Doris said simply.

"I'm sorry, what?" Steve asked as they all heard the doorbell ring.

"A date," Doris said again.

Steve went to answer the door and was stunned at who was on the other side of the door. He closed the door and then opened it again. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

"You told me to keep an eye on your mother," Mick said.

"An eye not a hand or any other part of your body," Steve said looking Mick up and down.

"Steve, we've got chemistry," Mick said.

"Chemistry," Steve huffed.

"Mick, you brought me flowers," Doris said opening the door wider. "Let me put these in water."

"It's okay Doris, I got it," Mia offered taking the flower arrangement from Doris.

"Mick this is Mia, Steve's fiancée. Steve this is Mick but I think you already knew that," Doris said. Standing in front of Steve and placing her hands on his cheeks she said, "Steve if you wanted to know what I was up to you should have just asked."

Doris kissed Steve goodbye and walked out closing the door behind her and leaving a shocked Steve.

Mia returned to the living room and found Steve standing there looking lost. "Babe, you okay?" she asked him.

"Did you see that?" and incredulous Steve asked pointing the closed door.

"Uh, yeah?" Mia asked confused. "Where do you know the guy from?"

"He's a private investigator I hired to follow my mother and check what she was up to," Steve said taking a seat on the arm of the couch.

"A what?" Mia asked confused but the surprise evident in her voice. "You hired a private investigator to follow your mother?"

"Yes, look Mia, I don't trust her okay? She's up to something and I want to know what it is," Steve said crossing his arms in front of him and looking at Mia.

"Why don't you just talk to her? Ask her what she's up to," Mia said.

"She won't tell me the truth," Steve said.

"Whatever Steve," Mia said waving him off. "I'm going to bed now."

"You're not mad are you?" Steve said standing up and holding Mia's hand before she went up the stairs.

"Mad? No, I'm not mad. I actually find it kind of funny because that little stunt actually came back to bite you in the butt," Mia said smiling up at Steve. "Seriously babe, who did you think you were fooling? She's a former spy for heaven's sake."

"It's not funny," Steve said pouting.

Mia laughed and placed a small kiss on Steve's lips before walking up the stairs. "Good night babe."

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure if the P.I.'s name was actually Mick because it also sounded like Nick lol. Well if anyone knows for sure let me know. I also want to let everyone know that this story is coming to and end pretty soon. I know the show is going on a brief hiatus and returns until March and we still don't know what's up with WoFat and we probably won't know until the last two episodes but I promise what I have planned for this story will not disappoint you. Hang tight and don't forget to review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sooo, I was able to fix it. I guess it was just a minor scare but either way I backed up all my files. We don't want a repeat of that. **

**Anyways, it's been a very interesting few days. So much drama online! I just hope it ends soon because it takes away the fun of what us as fans really want to do, support such a great show and its cast, whether we like or dislike certain characters. And no, disliking a character does not make you a HATER (such a strong word) as long as you do it with respect to whoever plays the role.  
**

**Anyhow, thank you to those who keep reviewing and liking my story. It is greatly appreciated. If anyone is interested, I created a special twitter account (username: karymcgarret) to keep you updated on my story or future stories as well as other H5O related stuff. For now, I'll leave you with this chapter...  
**

**Chapter 28**

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. Everything was set up and the pastor who would be marrying Mia and Steve was outside ready and waiting along with the rest of the guests, which consisted of Savannah, Jake, baby Kelly, Doris, Mary Ann, Governor Sam Denning, Chin, Kono with Adam, Danny, and Gracie. Danny had recently obtained shared custody with Rachel and now he didn't have to worry about Rachel moving Gracie away. Mia had decided not to invite Derek because even though they were good friends the situation would be just too awkward for Steve and Derek. He completely understood and wished her the best of luck and happiness.

Steve was downstairs in the lanai, with Danny, pacing around. He wanted everything to be perfect for Mia. He'd manage to get a few days of for him and Mia, three to be exact, for a honeymoon. It wasn't much but Mia didn't mind and she understood why they couldn't be gone for too long. The team would be short on two members and they had important things to take care of.

"Will you stop pacing around and just relax? It's not like Mia is going to back down," Danny said tired of Steve not staying still for more than a minute.

"I know Danny," Steve said as he stopped momentarily to look at Danny with a big goofy smile. "I just want everything to be perfect."

"Everything _is_ perfect already. The flowers are all here, the food and the music and all the guests are here. See," he said motioning to the backyard, "nothing to worry about."

"You're right," Steve said as took a deep breath and checked his tie one more time.

"Stop fussing with that and go stand where you belong," Danny said looking at his watch. "Mia should be coming down the stairs shortly."

"Thanks Danny, for being my best man and for giving Mia away. Mia really appreciates it," Steve said placing a hand on Danny's arm.

"It's an honor to me Steve," Danny said. "Now go take your place."

* * *

Mia was upstairs putting the finishing touches to her make up and hair with the help of Savannah, her maid of honor. Savannah was like the sister Mia never had and she couldn't be happier than to have her sharing this moment with her. If Savi's parents were to be alive she knew her father would have happily given her away but he wasn't there and Danny was in charge now. Mia liked Danny very much and he was Steve's best friend, plus Mia saw him as a brother, and he was honored when she had asked him to give her away.

"Are you ready?" Savi asked.

Mia nodded. She was too nervous for words. She just wanted to already be married to Steve. Steve had been worried because just a few days ago he had come face to face with WoFat but Steve had been forced to let him go in order to save the life of a politician who had been wounded by WoFat. Steve had not mentioned any of his worries to Mia but she could see how it was taking a toll on him even if he didn't say anything. Today Mia planned on making Steve forget, if just for a few moments, about all his problems with his family and relating to WoFat.

"Okay, now take a deep breath and relax," Savannah said. "Everything is going to be alright."

"I know," Mia said smiling at her friend. "I just can't wait to become Steve's wife. I can't believe this Savi. Just yesterday we lived on opposite sides of the country and now, now we're getting married and having a baby."

"I know," Savi said getting emotional. "Even though you don't want to hear this, we do have to thank Peter for this. If he wouldn't have picked you for Denning's assignment you wouldn't be here today, marrying Steve and I wouldn't be helping my best friend get ready."

"That's true, at least he got something right, but enough of that. Don't cry because you're going to make me cry and I already have enough of these hormones going on," Mia said motioning to her baby bump.

"You look beautiful," Savi said taking in Mia's wedding gown. "Let's go now. We don't want to have Steve come looking for you because you're taking too long."

Mia's wedding gown was very simple. It was a long, white, strapless chiffon dress that had a thin beads lace just under her breasts and went around to the back. Her hair was done in a simple up-do and the make up was natural colors. She looked radiant.

Mia laughed and with the help of Savi, she walked down the stairs where Danny was waiting for her.

"Wow, you look beautiful. Steve is going to fall over when he sees you," Danny complimented.

Mia blushed and thanked Danny as she placed her hand in his and let him guide her outside with Savi in front of them.

* * *

Steve was standing at the altar facing the beach when he heard the music start. He watched as everyone stood up and then Mia came into view right behind Savannah. Steve was in awe with how beautiful Mia looked dressed in white and with her growing baby bump. He couldn't believe how lucky he was for having this second chance to be with Mia and make her his wife and the mother of their children. He smiled and watched her walk down the aisle in the arm of his best friend Danny.

Mia smiled at the guests and when she reached Steve she gave him a big happy smile reserved just for him. "Hello sailor," she whispered.

"Hello beautiful, ready to do this?" he said smiling back at her.

Mia nodded and placed her hand in Steve's as they both turned to face the pastor and proceeded with the ceremony.

"We are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Steve McGarret and Mia Summers the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives and the commitment they make today. Today you enter as individuals, but you will leave here as husband and wife, blending your lives, expanding your family ties, and embarking upon the grandest adventure of human interaction. The story of your life together is still yours to write. All those present have come to witness and celebrate your love and commitment this day, eager to be part of the story not yet told."

The pastor continued to talk to them about the importance of marriage and what their union today would mean. There were also two readings and then the pastor continued.

"And now, by the power invested in me by the State of Hawaii, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Family and friends, I present to you Steven and Mia McGarret," the pastor announced. He turned to Steve and said, "You may now kiss the bride."

Steve turned to face Mia and placed a hand around her neck to bring her face to his and kissed her, earning cheers and applauses from the guests. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too," she whispered back fighting to hold the tears back but not succeeding as she felt a lone tear trail down her face.

"Hey, no tears today," Steve said wiping the tear away with his thumb.

"They're happy tears," she said smiling at him.

Steve smiled and turned to walk down the isle with his wife. They were stopped at the end by their friends who wished them nothing but the best and congratulated them. Steve and Mia were filled with so much happiness and love. Neither one could believe how far they had come in such a short time. They were going to become parents in just three months and that only filled them with more joy.

* * *

"Can I get everyone's attention please?" Danny said standing up on his spot. "I would like to make a toast to the happy couple. I know I haven't known you Mia for that long but you know that I see you as one of my own sisters and I couldn't be happier to have met you. I thank God everyday for putting you in Steve's path because he's a changed man since you came back into his life, a changed man in a good way. You made him come out of his nutshell and that also lighten the workplace, made it easier to work with this grouch."

That earned laughs from everyone.

"Steve, man, thank you for allowing me to be part of such a special moment in your life, your wedding, which if I'm completely honest I never would have imagined this day, let alone the day you became a father. You are a great human being, you and Mia both, and I wish you both nothing but the best and pure happiness. You both deserve it after all these years," Danny said. Raising his glass he said, "To Mr. and Mrs. McGarret and their future together."

"Cheers," everyone said.

"Thank you Danny," Mia said with tears in her eyes.

Steve stood and hugged his best friend.

"Okay guys, enough of this mushy stuff. I love you bro and I thank you Mia for accepting my brother, although I don't know how you deal with him, but I think it's time for the couple's first dance as a married couple," Mary said standing up and going to the D.J.

Steve helped Mia up from her chair and led her to the dance floor as everybody else followed to watch them.

_"Well I just heard the news today_

_It seems my life is going to change_

_I close my eyes, begin to pray_

_Then tears of joy stream down my face"_

Mia wrapped her arms around Steve's neck and Steve placed his hands on the small of her back as they swayed to the music.

"I love this song," Mia whispered against Steve's ear. "How did your sister know?"

Steve smiled and kissed her temple. "I don't know," he whispered back but in reality he did know. He had given specific instructions to his sister to play this song because he knew it was Mia's favorite.

_"With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to this place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_With arms wide open"_

"I love you Steve. I can't believe we finally made it," she said moving her head away a few inches to look up at him. "I hope I'm not dreaming and if I am I never want to wake up."

"You're not dreaming Mia. This is reality and I couldn't be happier," he said smiling and placing a small tender kiss on her lips.

_"Well I don't know if I'm ready_

_To be the man I have to be_

_I'll take a breath; I'll take her by my side_

_We stand in awe, we've created life"_

Steve placed one hand on her stomach and said, "I just hope I can be a good husband and a good father to our child. I know it's not going to be easy but I'll learn along the way."

"We'll both learn together," she said placing a hand on top of his.

_"With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to this place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_Now everything has changed_

_I'll show you love_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open"_

The song slowly faded and everyone broke into applauses. The D.J. then continued to play music for everyone to dance to.

* * *

When the sun had set and they had cut the cake, Steve led Mia into the house saying it was time for them to leave.

"But we have to say goodbye to everyone and thank them," Mia said.

Steve kissed Mia and said, "Trust me babe, they already heard enough thank you's to last them for a while. We have to go now if we don't want to miss our plane."

"What about our bags?" she said letting Steve guide her to her Audi.

"Already taken care of," he said as he opened the door for her and helped her in.

Steve drove Mia to the small private airport and straight into the terminal. Steve was smiling the whole way and Mia couldn't help but smile too at seeing how happy Steve looked. When they arrived, Mia noticed a helicopter was waiting for them and Mia turned to look at Steve.

"I thought you said plane," she said raising an eyebrow.

"Really? Hmm, you must have misunderstood," Steve said smiling and getting out of the car. He went around the car to help Mia and handed the young man the car keys thanking him for everything.

"Who's the pilot?" Mia asked loud enough for Steve to hear with all the noise while he helped her into the helicopter.

Steve smiled at Mia. "You're looking at him," he said against her ear.

Mia gaped at him. "You?" she asked shocked.

Steve nodded and then closed the door. He walked around and got into the pilot's seat and got ready for take off after making sure they were both safely strapped in.

"You haven't even told me where we are going," Mia said over her headpiece.

"Maui," Steve said smiling at her and then turning his gaze to the controls and taking off.

"No way, can you believe in all the years I lived here I never visited Maui?" Mia said happy at the news.

"I know, that's why I'm taking you there," Steve said.

* * *

They arrived about an hour later and took a cab to a very exclusive resort. Mia was in awe when they entered their suite. The place was stunning and it was just living room in the suite. She couldn't imagine what the rest of the resort looked like.

"Wow," Mia said. "Steve, oh my god, how did you afford all this?" she said turning to look at him.

"Don't worry about it Mia. Every penny was worth the smile on your face," he said walking to her and running a hand over her hair.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you."

Mia turned to walk to the door that led into the bedroom but Steve stopped her.

"I have to carry you over the threshold," he said bending to carry her.

"Steve!" she yelped when Steve lifted her into his arms. "Put me down. I'm too heavy."

Steve laughed. "You don't even weight too much," he said leaning down to kiss her. He managed to open the door with one hand and carried Mia into the room placing her on top of the bed filled with red rose petals.

The room was decorated with lit candles everywhere you looked and the bed was filled with red rose petals. On a small table close to the bed there was a bottle of champagne chilling and a tray filled with strawberries and other small snacks.

"I know this isn't much but I promise you on the first chance we get I'll take you on a real honeymoon anywhere you want to go," Steve said sitting on the edge of the bed facing Mia.

Mia grabbed Steve's hand and smiled. "This is more than enough Steve. I love it, thank you. It doesn't matter if we would have stayed in the Hilton or Holiday Inn, as long as we're together that's all that matters," she said. "Too bad we only have three days to enjoy the place but we'll make the best of it."

Steve nodded and smiled mischievously at Mia as he placed both hands on either side of her and kissed her fully this time. "I love you Mia, so much," he said trailing kisses down her neck.

"I love you too but if you don't make love to me right now I swear you'll pay," she said playfully bringing Steve's face to hers and kissing him again enjoying the sensations as Steve slowly made love to her for the first time as a married couple.

* * *

The next day Mia woke up to the smell of food. She turned to face the side where the sliding doors led to a balcony and saw Steve, clad in only a towel around his hips, fixing the table in the balcony with what appeared to be breakfast. She smiled to herself and got up, putting Steve's white button up shirt on in the process and walked to the balcony doors.

Steve stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Mia who was leaning on the door frame. He gave her a guilty smile and said, "I hope I didn't wake you up. You looked so peaceful sleeping but I ordered room service."

"The smell of food actually woke me up and I'm glad you ordered because I'm starving," she said walking to him and placing her hands on his waist. She kissed him and said, "Good morning hubby."

"Good morning wife," he said smiling at her. "Come on, sit down and let's eat."

Mia sat down and looked at the food in front of her. There were scrambled eggs with hash browns and pancakes. There was also orange juice and coffee for Steve since she couldn't drink it while pregnant.

"Everything looks good," Mia said. She turned to look over the balcony to take in the scene since last night it had been dark. "The view is amazing."

"It definitely is," he said sitting in front of her but never taking his eyes off her. He was obviously referring to her.

Mia turned to smile at Steve and caught him looking intently at her. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough for all of this Steve. I really appreciate it," she said and then began to eat.

Steve sipped from his coffee and then smiled at Mia. "You don't have to thank me for anything Mia. I did this for you because I love you and you deserve it. I should be the one thanking you for allowing me a second chance to prove how much I love you. You deserve this and much more," he said.

"When we're done maybe we can go walk around the resort and take advantage of its services," Mia said.

Steve frowned. "Room service isn't enough?" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

Mia laughed and threw at him a grape from the plate of fruit. "As much as I would love to stay locked in this room with you all day I really want to walk around and see the place," Mia said.

"You're wishing is my command," Steve said.

"Steve, there's something I want to give you," she said looking at him. "I don't have it here with me. It's in one of my suitcases but I've been holding it for a while."

"What is it?" he asked putting his fork down and giving her his full attention.

"Two months ago when we went to the ultrasound I told you I didn't want to know the sex of the baby but I know how much you wanted to know and you only agreed with me to make me happy," Mia said. She smiled at Steve and continued, "I really appreciate it but then I realized that it would be the perfect wedding gift so I went back to the doctor and she told me. Wait a minute, I'll be right back."

Mia stood up and walked back into the room feeling Steve's gaze on her the whole time. She opened her suitcase and took out a small box and then walked back to the balcony. She sat down and placed the box in front of Steve.

"Open it," she said grinning widely at him.

"Mia, are you sure? I mean I can wait," Steve said.

"No, none of that, I already know and it's only fair that you know too since you really wanted to know too," she said.

Steve smiled at her and took the box in his hands. He lifted the lid and took out a pair of baby shoes, followed by the picture of the ultrasound. Steve looked at Mia smiling widely. "Really?" he asked. "It's a-"

Mia nodded eagerly. "Yes," she whispered.

Steve stood up and walked to where Mia was sitting down. He gently brought her to her feet and kissed her passionately. "Thank you," he whispered. "Gosh Mia you have no idea how incredibly happy you make me."

"You're really happy with the results?" she asked a bit hesitantly afraid maybe this was not what Steve wanted.

Steve nodded. "Definitely," he said nodding and grinning at her like a school boy.

Mia let her self relax and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck. "I love you Steven John McGarret," she said and kissed him.

* * *

The three days flew by for Steve and Mia and now they had returned to Honolulu. Neither one of them wanted to return but they both knew they had a job to do and the team was waiting for them to help out.

While Mia unpacked upstairs, Steve checked their messages and froze when he heard a male voice he recognized very well.

_"Hey Mia, I know you or Steve don't want to see me or hear from me but I just called to wish you both the best in this new chapter of your lives. I really hope Steve makes you happy and know that I send my most genuine and heartfelt congratulations."_

Steve was about to press delete when he heard Mia. He turned to see her and saw her standing on the stairs.

"Don't erase it, please," she said.

"Mia," Steve began.

"It's okay Steve, sooner or later I will have to talk to him," she said walking down the rest of the stairs. "I was thinking and I think I should fly to New York."

"What? No, no way," Steve said shaking his head as he walked into the kitchen.

"Steve, listen to me, I have to do it. Besides, I still have to go back to pack up my apartment and ship all my belongings here and get rid of whatever I can't bring," she said following him.

"You don't need your stuff. I'll buy you whatever you left behind," he said turning to face her as he leaned on the counter behind him.

"It's not that easy Steve. I have my apartment to sell and I really need to talk to Peter face to face. It's time to do that," she said placing her hands on his arms.

"Then I'll come with you," Steve said.

"No Steve you can't. The team needs you here and I can manage on my own. I'll hire some people to pack up and probably I won't be gone for more than a week, two at most," she said.

Steve didn't like the idea of Mia flying to New York on her own. She didn't want her to stress over the issue with Peter and she was also six months pregnant already. It would be very tiring for her and the baby but Mia already had her mind set and as much as he hated it Mia had to do this. "Fine," he muttered. "But only two weeks at the most. I want you to take it easy and don't do any heavy lifting. Leave it all to the packing crew and please if Peter starts giving you a hard time walk away. I don't want to worry from far away where I can't do anything."

Mia nodded. "I promise," she said giving him her word that she would take it easy.

"When do you want to go?" he asked.

"I think the sooner the better," she said.

"When?"

"This weekend," she said.

"_This_ weekend? Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

Mia nodded.

"Mia we just got back. We haven't even been married for a week and you're already planning on flying to New York?" he asked incredulous.

"I know it's so sudden but if I wait longer I won't be able to make the trip. Then I'll have to wait until after the baby is born and with the baby here, traveling will be more difficult," she explained. "I'll be back before you even have a chance to miss me."

"I already miss you and you haven't even left," he said.

Mia laughed. "Don't be silly, I promise everything will be just fine," she said kissing him softly. "You'll probably be filled with work to even have a chance to remember me."

"You're never far from my mind Mia," he said kissing her again. "But fine, this weekend it is then."

"Thanks," she said smiling at him.

* * *

**A/N: The words used by the pastor were taken from an online site which said people were free to use. I would love to give credit to whoever posted them online but there was no name. Once again, don't forget to review and send story ideas my way of something you might be interested in reading.**

**P.S. I will post a link on my profile to the wedding dress I had pictured Mia wedding.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I totally forgot to credit the song I used in Chapter 28. It was "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed. In case no one noticed, I left out the part where Steve finds out the sex of the baby on purpose, just to keep a bit of suspense going lol. Anyways thank you to all the new and old followers for following and reading.  
**

**francis2: Thank you! :)**

**carson34:I'm so glad I recovered the chapter too and thank you for reading.**

** seeinstars92: thank you! You don't have to wait much longer, her trip to New York is in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 29**

Mia arrived in New York around six in the afternoon on Saturday. She took a cab straight to her apartment, sent a quick text to Steve to let him know she had arrived safely, and then went to her room to take a quick nap because she was really tired from the flight.

When she woke up two hours later she realized it was already eight and she hadn't eaten anything since this morning. She ordered take-out from the Chinese food place down the street and it was delivered twenty minutes later. Mia sat on a bar stool eating while she looked around her apartment and took in everything she owned. The furniture would have to go. She would probably donate it if she couldn't sell it soon. Basically all she was going to take was her clothes and any personal belongings. Before coming to New York, she had arranged for a moving crew to come Sunday and start the packing process and on Monday she would pay a visit to Peter.

Mia sighed as the nostalgia seemed to hit her. She was leaving New York for good, the place she had called home for so many years. Mia couldn't believe everything that had happened in less than a year. She had gone back to Hawaii to do a job and had ended up pregnant and married to the love of her life, Steve.

Mia wiped the few tears that had fallen and cleaned up the spot where she ate. Then she went into her room to start packing some of her clothes. It was getting late but her body was on a different time zone therefore she didn't feel sleepy, although her earlier nap may have had something to do with that too.

Around one in the morning she finally called it a night and climbed into the bed exhausted, immediately falling asleep.

* * *

Steve was in his house painting the room right across from his and Mia's, getting it ready so when Mia returned all they would have to worry about was the baby furniture. Mia had picked out all the colors of the nursery and given Steve specific instructions as to how she wanted the job done. Steve laughed at the memory. He didn't know when Mia had gotten so bossy but he was willingly happy to comply. Steve realized Mia had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment they met the day they were partnered in their Biology class.

They had been assigned partners during the lab which consisted of dissecting a frog. Mia had taken the reigns from the beginning and he'd simply let her because he thought she would spare him the trouble of getting his hands dirty. How wrong he had been. The first thing Mia did was to give him the scalpel and ordered him to make the first opening while she took the notes. Steve had never been one to allow anyone to dictate him but he had found himself intrigued by Mia right away. He did as she instructed and before they knew it they had become really good friends, somehow always managing to end up being lab partners.

He was starting on the second wall when he received her text saying she had arrived safely and was going to take nap to sleep of the fatigue from the flight.

"Hey, Steve, you here?" Steve heard Danny ask from downstairs.

"Upstairs!" he called back loud enough for Danny to hear him.

Danny looked for Steve until he found him in the room right across from his and Mia's. "Wow, look at you. Just been married a week and you're already doing some remodeling. What did I tell you?" Danny said smirking at Steve as he watched him paint the wall.

"What are you talking about Danny? This will be the nursery and I'm just painting it because when Mia returns we will choose the furniture," Steve said. "Why don't you make yourself useful and grab a brush."

"I was actually here to show you this," Danny said waving an envelope in his hand.

"What is that?" Steve asked putting the brush down and looking at Danny.

"These, my friend, are the tickets to the game we had Kamekona get us," Danny said taking the tickets out of the envelope.

"No way," Steve said grinning as he walked to Danny and took the tickets to look at them closely.

"Yes way," Danny said nodding.

"Sweet," he said looking at the tickets and liking the seats they had gotten.

Just then, Steve's cell phone rang and it was a call from work. They had just gotten a new case.

"Don't worry Danny, we'll make it on time," Steve promised as they drove to the crime scene.

"Let's just get this over with," Danny muttered.

When they arrived at the crime scene at an airsoft compound, Kono filled them in on what had happened.

"Our victim is Scott Davis." Kono proceeded to explain what they knew and soon the tem was on the hunt for a woman who had been stealing from many rich men.

* * *

Steve and Danny had finally managed to capture their killer, Neil, but Steve had dislocated a shoulder in the process and Danny passed his tickets onto Kamekona and Max to go with Steve to the hospital. Steve insisted on Danny going to the game but Danny refused and stayed by Steve's side the whole time.

"So what do you think Mia will have to say about this?" Danny asked with his arms crossed across his chest and giving Steve and unimpressed look.

"It comes with the job Danny," Steve said. "She'll understand. Besides, it's just a dislocated arm, no big deal."

Danny snorted in amusement. "No big deal? We're talking about your pregnant wife, your pregnant and hormonal wife, Steve. She can't leave you alone for five minutes because then you go all Rambo on us while we try to catch our suspect."

"Then I won't tell her until she gets here. No need to worry her when she's on the other side of the country for something so small," Steve said shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"When does she get back?" Danny asked

"If everything goes as planned, in a week, and if not then she said she would be two weeks at the most in New York," Steve said.

"So she's really going to face Peter?" Danny asked.

"Don't even remind me," Steve said annoyed. "I tried to stop her from doing that but she said it was something she had to do sooner or later. I would have preferred later."

Danny observed Steve and he could tell Steve was worried about Mia even if he tried to hide it. Danny would find Steve in his office staring into space for the whole past week since he and Mia returned from their honeymoon. He decided to ask him about it later, once they left the hospital.

* * *

When they left the hospital, Kono called Danny telling them to meet her at the stadium because she had something for Danny. Kono had ended up arranging for Steve and Danny to have the stadium to themselves for ten minutes since they had missed the entire game. Kono had also managed to get Danny an autographed football from Peyton Manning which completely made Danny's day.

* * *

On their way to Steve's house, Danny questioned Steve about his recent behavior. "Is everything alright with you and Mia?" Danny asked casually.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Steve asked giving Danny a confused look.

Danny shrugged. "Just asking, you have just seemed a bit preoccupied since you came back to work."

"No, Mia and I are fine, more than fine. We just got married and I couldn't be happier," Steve said.

"Oh, it's just, I've caught you a couple of times staring off into space," Danny said.

Steve sighed. "I just, maybe I'm overreacting, but I don't know Danny. I have this weird feeling and I don't like it," Steve said.

"What weird feeling?"

"I don't know, can't explain it. Ever since Mia mentioned her plans on going to New York I've felt an uneasiness that won't go away and with her gone now it's gotten stronger," Steve shared his feelings to Danny, something he rarely did.

"Hmm, maybe like you said, you're overreacting and it's nothing. It's probably because she went back to the place she had called home for so many years. Don't worry, Mia will be back before you know it," Danny said pulling up in front of Steve's house.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for everything Danny. You don't want to come in, have a beer or two?" Steve offered.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," Danny said.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," Steve said and got out of the car.

* * *

Late that night, before Steve went to bed he decided to give Mia a call since he hadn't heard from her all day and she had promised to call everyday. Steve didn't want to sound like a controlling husband but he needed to hear her voice and make sure she was okay. It was already midnight in Hawaii so it was probably around six in the morning in New York. The phone rang and rang until Mia finally answered right before it went to voicemail.

"Whoever this is better have something important to say," a groggy and very annoyed Mia said into the phone.

Steve chuckled. "Morning babe," he said in his low soothing voice.

"Steve?" she asked weakly and then became instantly alert when she realized what time it was. "What's wrong?"

"Relax," he said. "Everything is fine. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You didn't call today, well yesterday; well you know what I mean. I was worried."

Mia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up knowing sleep wasn't going to come back anymore. "Sorry, I guess I lost track of time. I was packing and well I'm sorry."

"I thought you said you were going to leave all the packing to the moving crew you hired," he gently reminded. "Mia I don't want you lifting anything."

"Don't worry, it was just my clothes," Mia said smiling into the phone. "I gave you my word and I'm keeping it."

"Exactly how much clothes are we talking about?" Steve asked warily as he stole a glance in the direction of their small closet already packed with Mia's clothes and shoes.

"Umm, well, you see I have a walk-in closet and when I went to Hawaii I only took one small suitcase thinking it wasn't going to be a long stay."

"Mia, just tell me," Steve urged.

"Let's just say we might need to use the closet in the nursery," Mia said.

Steve groaned into the phone. "Do you really need all those clothes? You've already bought so many since you've been in Hawaii."

"I need my work clothes Steve. Eventually when I have the baby I will go back to work," Mia reminded. "Plus I'm donating a great amount to a local charity."

Steve didn't seem as enthused by the idea of Mia going back to work right after the baby was born. He hoped she would want to stay home at least the first year with their child but that was something they would have to discuss when she came home. "I guess we'll manage somehow. I miss you," he whispered into the phone.

Mia smiled feeling the warmth creep into her body at Steve's words. "I miss you too," she said back.

"Just hurry back home, please," Steve said.

"I promise to get things done as soon as possible. Now I think you should get some sleep. It's past midnight over there and I should start getting ready for the day. The moving crew will be here at eight," Mia said looking at the alarm clock on her night stand. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "Please take care of yourself and don't forget to call me."

"I promise," she said. "Goodnight Steve."

"Good morning," Steve responded smiling.

Mia smiled and then hung up the phone knowing Steve would just prolong the inevitable.

Steve hung up the phone and just lay in his bed staring at the ceiling glad that Mia was doing fine. He didn't mention anything about the game he had told her earlier in the week about knowing that eventually she would find out about his small shoulder injury and he didn't want her to worry about it. Steve grabbed Mia's pillow and brought it to him before giving into exhaustion and eventually falling asleep.

* * *

On Thursday morning, while the packing crew was in her apartment, Mia went to arrange for her SUV to be shipped to Hawaii and then took a cab to the FBI building to finally have the much anticipated talk with her biological father. Mia was not looking forward to this conversation but it was something that had to be done before she moved permanently to Hawaii.

She arrived and took the elevator to the eight floor crossing paths with colleagues, many of who were surprised to see her pregnant and even more when she told them she was married. They congratulated her and then she continued walking down the hall towards the office at the very end, waving and smiling at familiar faces.

Standing in front of the closed door knowing this was something she had to do she took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the wooden black door.

"Come in," she heard Peter bark.

He was probably busy, she thought and annoyed at being interrupted.

Mia walked in and just like she thought, Peter was on the phone having a very heated conversation with someone. He had not seen her because he was facing outside the windows. She waited patiently by the door she closed behind her until he finished his call.

Peter hung up the phone and turned briskly to see who was there and when he saw Mia he was frozen on his spot. "Mia?" he said stunned. He didn't know what to do of this visit, definitely not expecting to see Mia standing in his office. He recovered quickly and said, "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," she said walking the few steps to he empty chair right in front of his desk.

"This is definitely a surprise. Honestly, you were the last person I was expecting to see here," he said nervously sitting down on his chair. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Look Peter, this isn't a friendly visit," she said looking down at her hands. She sighed and brought her eyes to meet his, for the first time realizing she was looking into a mirror of her own eyes. "I requested my transfer months ago and you still haven't signed the papers."

"I know," he said simply taking in how beautiful his daughter looked. Maternity really suited her, he thought as he saw how she glowed.

"You know? Just like that? Are you going to sign them?" she asked bluntly.

"I don't know Mia. You've been with us for so many years and you are one of our very best. It would be hard to let go of someone so valuable to the agency here in New York."

"I am not living in New York anymore Peter," she said harshly. "I got married and as you can see I am very pregnant. I have a husband and a home waiting for me back in Hawaii, along with a group of friends I consider _family_."

"I can see that Mia and I'm happy for you although you will understand I am not particularly fond of the man you chose for your husband and the father of your child."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," she bit out.

Peter sighed as he stood up to walk to the other side of his office. Standing a few feet behind Mia he said, "What about if Steve moved here with you? I'm pretty sure he can find something close to what he does in Hawaii."

Mia groaned as she placed her elbows on the desk in front of her and covered her face with her hands. She knew Peter wasn't going to make this easy on her and that was exactly why she had asked Governor Denning to speak with Peter but apparently Denning hadn't accomplished much.

Standing up, she faced Peter and said, "Look Peter, I didn't come here to negotiate. You either sign those damn papers or I quit."

"I am still your boss Agent Summers so I suggest you tread carefully and treat me with respect," he ordered.

"Or what? You're going to fire me? Go right ahead, Peter, fire me. Honestly, I don't care anymore," Mia sneered back.

"You're seriously willing to give up years of hard work for something I did and have lived every single day of my life regretting?"

"I don't care what you did or didn't do Peter. I have finally found what I have always wanted, a man I love and loves me for who I am. Don't get me wrong, I will always be thankful for everything you did for me, for giving me the opportunity to be part of this Agency but none of that matters anymore."

"Did Steve put you up to this? He did, didn't he? He made choose between him and your job," Peter asked in disbelief.

"Steve didn't make me do anything Peter! He actually offered to come up with some other solution if I really wanted to come back to New York but _I_ insisted on moving back because that is where I belong and where I want to be. Please Peter, sign the papers so we can all move on," Mia said.

"Is this really what you want?" he asked finally seeing how determined Mia was to leave the Agency.

Mia nodded. "More than anything Peter," she said softly.

Peter sighed and walked back to his desk. He sat down and took out a manila folder from the top drawer of his desk. Opening it, he took out the papers inside and signed them. He then closed the enveloped and stood up once again. "I will personally take these papers and have them processed immediately," he said looking at her. "I really hope you know what you are doing Mia."

"I do," she said nodding at him.

Peter nodded and just looked at Mia for a minute.

"Thank you Peter," she said grabbing her purse ready to leave.

"Mia, can we talk about what happened a few months ago?" Peter asked.

Mia shook her head. "I'm sorry Peter that is just something I am not ready for just yet. Maybe in the future I can finally sit down and discuss your reasons for doing what you did but right now I just can't."

"I really am sorry for everything you went through. I hope one day you will give me the chance to explain it to you," he said.

"Goodbye Peter, thank you for everything," Mia said genuinely and then walked out of Peter's office, hurrying out of the building and trying to get as far away from the place as possible. It hurt to think she had always had her father so close yet so far at the same time. Mia really hoped one day she could forgive Peter for walking out on her and her mother but until that day came, she had to stay as far away from him as possible.

* * *

The remaining of the week was filled with getting rid of the remaining furniture which she decided to donate because it would take to long to sell and she really wanted to get back to Hawaii and Steve as soon as possible. She had arranged with an agency to rent out her apartment and she left all her contact information and Steve's in case they couldn't reach her.

* * *

On Friday night Mia had everything finished. It had taken less time than she anticipated and she was glad. Tomorrow morning she would be back in Hawaii and surprising Steve. He expected her back on Sunday after talking to him earlier in the week and telling him she would be flying back on Sunday but she was finished earlier than planned and decided to fly back early. For tonight, or the few hours she had before catching her flight, she would stay in a hotel close to the airport and hopefully tomorrow she'd be back in Steve's arms.

Smiling, she walked out of her apartment and closed the door behind her, closing the door to this chapter of her life and ready to start a new one next to Steve.

Mia had finally arrived back home. Hawaii had once again become her home after all these years and she still couldn't believe it. She stepped outside the airport and breathed in the fresh air of the island she now called home once again. Home, she thought as she rubbed her almost seven month bump, now that's something she could definitely get used to. Mia hailed a cab and once she was inside and had given the driver directions she took out her cell to call Steve. He didn't expect her to be back until tomorrow but she'd gotten everything done earlier than planned and took an earlier flight back home to surprise Steve.

"McGarret," he answered.

"I love it when you answer like that," she said in a sexy voice. "It's very sexy."

"Mia? Hey I wasn't expecting to hear from you till later," Steve said stopping in the middle of his office.

"Yeah well I've got a surprise for you Commander. Guess where I'm at?" she said playfully.

"New York?" he asked.

"Nope. I got done earlier than planned and was lucky enough to find an earlier flight back home. I'm actually in a cab on my way home," she said smiling even though Steve couldn't see her.

"Really, why didn't you call me so I could pick you up? How about I meet you there then? How far away are you?" he asked happy to hear she was finally in Hawaii.

"I'm about- oh my god, watch out!" Steve heard Mia shout.

"Mia? Mia what's going on? Mia!" he shouted into the phone anxious to know what was happening. "Mia, answer me!"

Danny walked out of his office after hearing Steve yelling for Mia. When Steve saw Danny he motioned for Danny to trace the call as he put the phone on the computer and on speaker listening to the commotion on the other side. Steve felt helpless not knowing how to help her or where she was and then he heard Mia yelling for Steve. That was the last thing they heard before everything went eerily quiet.

* * *

**A/N: Don't forget to review. I really love reading the feedback.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Wow I think this has been the most reviews in a chapter I've recieved. Thank you for all the wwonderful reviews! **

**Chapter 30**

Mia was talking to Steve on the phone when a black SUV came out of nowhere and blocked their path. Mia at first thought it was just an accident but then she saw the men dressed in black fully armed come out of the SUV. Mia realized this wasn't an accident and they were here for her when the driver was shot in the head and killed instantly.

"Get out of the car, now! Don't try anything stupid or I will kill you."

Mia got out with her hands in the air afraid they might hurt her or the baby. "What's going on? What do you want from me?" she cried terrified even though she had been trained for situations like this. She was terrified not for her self but for her child.

"Shut up and walk. Get in there," he commanded once they reached the SUV. When she was inside someone put a mask over her head and then she felt the car moving to an unknown destination.

* * *

When Steve and the team arrived with HPD backup Steve knew something was very wrong. He got out of the Camaro barely shutting off the engine and saw the driver dead on the wheel but no sign of Mia. He looked in the backseat and saw her purse and cell phone on the seat. Steve kicked the car in frustration and cursed.

"We're going to find her Steve," Danny said as he placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

Steve shook off his partner's hand and began walking to the car. "We better and when I find whoever did this I will personally kill that person with my own hands. Kono I want you to go through all the street cameras, fine something anything."

Kono nodded and went straight to work worried about Mia. She turned to Chin and they exchanged a sympathetic look both equally worried for Mia and Steve, hoping to find her soon.

* * *

Mia didn't know where these men were taking her. All she knew there were about four, the two that got out to get her, the one driving, and the one in the passenger seat with only one thing in common, they were all dressed in black. As soon as she had gotten into the black SUV someone covered her face with a mask and all she could do was stay still. She didn't understand why they didn't tie up her hands and feet knowing she could easy put up a fight but then it occurred to her that they had one thing on their side, her baby. They knew she wouldn't try anything stupid if she wanted to keep her unborn child safe.

The vehicle moved for a long time, she wasn't sure how long, until it came to a complete stop and doors were being opened and closed. She was pulled out of the car almost stumbling on her feet.

"Careful, remember we don't want anything to happen to the child," one of the voices said.

What did they want with my baby, Mia thought. Instinctively she wrapped her hands around her stomach protecting it from these men. At least she had a bit of information and it had to do with her unborn child. Mia would do anything to protect her child from whoever was doing this.

Even though her face was covered she could still hear and feel. She figured they were in an isolated place due to the long drive, maybe the jungle, since she could feel the dirt crawling into her sandals as she walked and the heavy humidity. They walked into a building and she was escorted up a long staircase and then into a room. As soon as she was in the room one of the men removed the cover from her face. She blinked a few times trying to adjust to the light and took in her surroundings.

Mia was in a large bedroom with two doors to her left adjacent to the wall containing the entrance to the room. She assumed they might lead to a bathroom and a closet. Right across from her were two large windows.

As if reading her thoughts, the man right behind her spoke. "Don't get any ideas," he said. "No one can hear you if you try yelling for help and there's no way out of this room but through the door we just came in."

Mia turned to look at the man but he was gone and when she went to try the doorknob, it had been locked. Mia slammed a hand on the thick door and then ran a hand through her hair as she walked to the windows. Sure enough, the windows were too thick and sealed. Then she hurried into the adjoining bathroom but it was a waste of time. Who ever did this to her had probably been planning this stunt for a while now because everything every thing was secured to prevent her from escaping. She checked the room thoroughly and there was everything she might need, from toothpaste, shampoo, to maternity clothes and clothes that looked to be the size she was before being pregnant. Someone obviously planned on keeping her here for a long time.

"Dammit," she mumbled. She felt the burning in her eyes and took a deep breath. "I am not going to let them win. Steve and the team will find me. I just have to be patient and take care of myself and my child." She continued this mantra until she gave into exhaustion falling asleep in the large bed, the long trip and stress catching up to her.

* * *

"What have we got?" Steve asked when he walked out of the office two hours after last hearing from Mia.

"We have surveillance video of Mia walking out of the airport and getting into the cab and then traffic cameras caught the moment Mia was taken," Kono said.

"Pull them up," Steve ordered standing with his arms crossed in front of him at the end of the table looking at the screen.

"Steve-" Chin began.

"Pull them up Kono," Steve ordered once more ignoring Chin.

Kono nodded and pulled up the videos.

Everyone stood in silence as Steve watched the video of Mia walking out of the airport and getting into the cab wearing a long yellow summer dress accentuating her seven month baby bump. She looked happy, if the big smile on her face was any indication and relaxed. Then the video of the SUV coming out of nowhere and blocking the path of the cab came next. There were two men dressed in black, one in front of the cab taking a shot at the driver, enough to kill him. Then came the hardest part of the scene watching Mia be pulled out of the car at gun point and pushed into the back seat of the black SUV with no license plates. Then the SUV sped away leaving no trace behind but the cab driver dead.

"There was not enough to run a facial recognition, not even a partial or at least a look at their eyes," Kono said.

"Whoever did this knew what they were doing," Chin said. "There's no sign of the SUV following them from the airport."

Danny just watched his partner in silence the whole time. Steve had turned off every emotion and wasn't letting anyone see how much this was affecting him. But Danny and the team knew better. If they didn't find Mia soon, Steve would explode. He was a ticking bomb waiting to go off at any moment.

"Did you go through all the traffic cameras?" he asked.

"Yeah, we lose track about two miles from where they took Mia," Kono said.

"How can you lose track of the black SUV?" Steve demanded pounding his fist on the table. He turned to Kono and said in a serious tone, "Go through it again and find me something, anything."

"Steve, they already checked twice," Danny said.

"I didn't ask how many times," Steve snapped. "When you find something give me a call. I'm going to check with Charlie if he has anything."

The remaining three team members exchanged a worried look before Danny followed behind Steve.

"If we don't find Mia soon I'm afraid it's not going to be very pretty around here," Chin told Kono as they resumed going through the cameras once again.

"Who would do this to Mia?" Kono asked her voice laced with worry and sadness. "She's barely been back in Hawaii and Steve just got her back. It's just not fair."

"When we're in a job like this, cuz, we create enemies left and right. There are many possibilities as to who could have done this," Chin said. "Hell, how do we even know it isn't someone from New York? Or if it's even someone trying to get back at the team or Steve? Right now we have to take whatever we have and start eliminating suspects."

"You're right. I just hope Mia and the baby are both fine," Kono said.

* * *

Danny and Steve walked in silence downstairs to the crime lab. Danny wasn't sure what to say to Steve in a situation like this. He knew Steve was trying to keep all his emotions inside even though it was killing him not to know what or who wanted to hurt Mia. Knowing Steve, Danny knew Steve was probably already blaming himself for what happened.

They arrived at the crime lab but unfortunately Charlie was no help. The sequesters obviously knew what they were doing and had done a clean job. That bullet that was used to kill the driver was very common and would be harder to track but Steve would do whatever it took to find Mia.

He had to be strong and not let the fear and pain he was feeling block his mind from doing his job. Steve would do whatever it took to find Mia and their unborn child even if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Back in headquarters, Chin and Kono were making a list of possible suspects but no one stood out except for two that might have a special interest in Mia, Peter Summers and Derek West.

Peter Summers had many motives to want to kidnap Mia. Mia wanted nothing to do with him and had requested to be transferred to Hawaii. Peter was Mia's biological father and wanted to fix things with his daughter now that Mia had found out the truth.

Then there was Derek West, hot-shot lawyer who dated Mia for about five years before breaking-up. According to Mia the decision had been mutual but it still didn't mean Derek may have resented her for that. Maybe Derek was bitter now that Mia was married and pregnant with someone else's child.

Chin and Kono were studying both case scenarios when Steve and Danny walked in.

"Why are Peter and Derek's profile's up?" Steve asked staring at the screen.

Kono and Chin turned to look at Danny and then at Steve.

"There was nothing else on the videos so we went ahead and created a list on possible suspects that might have something against Mia. No one stood out, not even Brian's brother. We checked him out and he's still locked up with no evidence of contacting someone outside to possibly get this done. The only exceptions were Peter Summers and Derek West," Kono said, referring to the brother of an earlier case they had that was tied to Mia's past.

"Why them?" Danny asked looking at the screen with his hands in his pockets.

Chin went on to explain his and Kono's reasons to believe they might be behind Mia's kidnapping. Although there was no evidence to signal they were responsible, they should still be brought in for questioning.

"Bring them in," Steve ordered before turning around and walking towards his office slamming the door behind him.

"How is he handling everything?" Chin asked Danny.

Danny sighed and leaned a hand on the table. "Not too well. He has practically shut down and is handling this like another Navy Seal mission but I know inside he's falling apart."

* * *

Inside Steve's office, Steve was trying to come up with his own list of suspects and so far he only had one name written down, WoFat.

Steve knew WoFat would not stop at anything to seek revenge. The most logical idea was to target Mia and his unborn child, hitting Steve in his weakest spot.

Steve was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on the door. He looked up to find Danny poking his head in.

"We have Derek in the interrogation room," Danny said. "Want me to handle it?"

"No I got it," Steve said standing up and walking to the door.

"Look Steve, maybe you should sit this one down," Danny suggested.

"I'm fine Danny, I can handle it," Steve said.

Danny shook his head and followed Steve to the interrogation room. As soon as they walked in Derek looked up clearly confused.

"What's going on Steve? What am I doing here?" Derek asked right away.

Steve stood in front of Derek with an intense look, his hands on his hips, trying to see something, anything that might show recognition. Steve came up empty. "Where were you today? Start from the moment you woke up," he ordered in a serious voice.

"What? What is this about?" Derek asked looking from Steve to Danny and back to Steve.

"Stick to answering the questions," Steve ordered once more.

"Am I in trouble? Do I need a lawyer?"

Steve chuckled humorlessly and then turned serious as he suddenly grabbed Derek from the collar of his jacket and brought him to his feet slamming him against the wall. "Where were you all day Derek? Answer the damn question."

"Hey Steve, man, come on there's no need for that," Danny said placing a hand on Steve's arm.

"Look I'm not answering any questions until I know what exactly I am being accused of," Derek said.

"No one is accusing you of anything," Danny said. "Unless you feel like you did something wrong, we just want to know what your schedule consisted of."

Derek turned to look at Steve who still had him against the wall. "What is this about? Why are you so interested in knowing what I was up to?"

Steve pushed Derek back onto his chair and walked to the furthest wall from him. "Mia was kidnapped earlier today on her way from the airport to our home," he said in a toneless voice.

"What? When, where? Why?" Derek asked at once, shocked at the news, looking from Danny to Steve.

"Exactly what you heard, the why is still debatable, but then you might be able to help us out on that one," Danny said. Either the man seriously didn't have a clue as to what was going on or he was one hell of a damn good actor.

Derek turned to look at Danny. "What do you mean? Why would I be able to help you?"

"You're the lawyer here, West, figure it out," Steve said coming out of the shadow. "You dated Mia for well over five years. Although she claimed the break-up was a mutual decision and you two remained friends you still had every reason to be bitter about the break-up, especially after finding out she was getting married and having another man's child."

Derek was confused by the implications. "Are you trying to say I had something to do with Mia's kidnapping?" he asked in confusion and outrage. "That's absurd! I would never do such thing to Mia or anyone else for that matter. Yes I loved Mia and I thought we might one day get married and start a family but I knew she didn't feel the same way so I let her go. We got along much better after we ended things but that's it. I did not kidnap Mia and I can prove it to you. Call my brother or the shrimp truck Mia's friend owns at the beach. I was there for almost three hours eating and hanging out with my brother. I haven't even seen or heard from Mia since the day before the wedding."

This was news to Steve. He didn't know Mia had contacted Derek the day before the wedding. Steve was clearly surprised but he didn't let it show.

"What time?" Danny asked.

"Around nine 'til like noon, before that I was just home. I'm usually not supposed to be in the office until nine but I took the morning off to be with my brother. He hasn't been living in Hawaii for long and doesn't know anyone but me and my cousin."

"Alright, what about after that, where did you go?" Danny asked.

"I went to work and I was there until the officer brought me in here," Derek said. "Look I had nothing to do with what happened to Mia and I'm sorry." Derek looked at Steve. "If there's anything I can do to help, just name it and I will."

"You're still not off the hook Derek," Steve said. "I will be looking closely so you better watch your back and pray that I don't find anything on you because if I do, you better run before I can put my hands on you." With that Steve walked out of the interrogation room.

Derek turned to look at Danny. "Can I go now?"

Danny nodded. "And Derek," Danny said before Derek walked out the door, "If I were you, I would listen to McGarret. You don't want to be anywhere near this island if we find out you had anything to do with Mia's disappearance."

Derek just looked Danny in the eye without revealing anything and then walked out the door.

* * *

It was close to midnight and the team still didn't have any leads on Mia's disappearance. The team was beginning to notice Steve's frustration coming to surface and no one could blame him. His wife and unborn child were missing. They had vanished into thin air and no one saw or heard anything, well except for the traffic cameras but even that wasn't enough.

Danny walked into Steve's office to find him on his computer typing away furiously. "Hey Steve, how about we call it a night and go home to get some rest. Maybe tomorrow once we're all rested we can see something we might have missed."

"You go on right ahead. I'm still going to be here a while," Steve said not taking his eyes away from the computer.

"Come on Steve, you can't drown yourself in this. You need to have a clear head and overworking yourself will not help Mia. She wouldn't want to see you like this," Danny said, but apparently it was the wrong thing to say because Steve flew off the chair tipping it over in the process.

"Mia also wouldn't have wanted to be kidnapped but she did and now I have to find her even if it's the last thing I do," Steve deadpanned.

"I understand Steve but -"

"You understand?" Steve interrupted incredulous. "How can you understand something you've never experienced? Your wife, your pregnant wife has never been kidnapped so don't tell me you understand when you don't!" Steve exploded.

"Okay, so maybe my wife was never kidnapped, but do you remember Grace? Yes Steve, Grace, _my daughter_, was kidnapped and it was one of the worst experiences ever. It was something I would never wish on anyone not even my worse enemy."

"I'm sorry Danny, I just, I have to find Mia," Steve said running a hand over his face. "I can't lose her Danny."

"You won't, we will find her Steve," Danny said.

Steve nodded at his partner and then turned to shut down the computer before walking out with him.

* * *

When Steve got home after midnight, he was exhausted and feeling like someone had ripped the life out of him. He knew letting Mia go to New York alone had been a bad idea, he had felt it from the beginning but he allowed her to convince him otherwise. If he would have listen to his gut none of this would have happened, Mia would be home safe and in his arms waiting for the arrival of their child. Now Steve sat in the armchair in the darkness of the night and his home trying to think of something, anything, which might lead him to Mia.

"Steve?"

Steve was startled for a moment, having forgotten his mother was home. He turned slightly on the chair and saw his mother descending the stairs. "Mom?" he croaked.

"I heard what happened," Doris said sitting on the coffee table right in front of Steve and taking his hands in hers. "I'm sorry honey."

"Mia is gone, mom," Steve said choking on his words not being able to hold back his emotions.

Doris' heart broke for Steve and Mia. She went to sit on the arm of the chair and wrapped Steve in her arms trying to comfort him even though no hug was enough to take away the pain of having your wife or unborn child kidnapped. "We're going to find here, Steve, I promise," Doris said gently already making plans to use her contacts.

"What if we don't," he said pulling away from his mother to stand up, wiping his tears in the process. "What if something happens to Mia or the baby and I never see them again?"

"That's not going to happen, Steve. I will use all the resources and contacts I have to help in any way I can but you need to be strong for Mia and your child," Doris said gently but firmly. "Do you have any idea who might have done this?"

Steve turned to look at his mother and uttered one name, "WoFat."

Doris blinked. "WoFat?" she repeated.

"That's the only logical explanation mom. The team thinks we should look into her ex or her biological father but honestly this has WoFat written all over it."

"Maybe your teammates are right and it's her ex or her father. From what I've heard and what Mia has told me they might have motive," Doris said standing up in front of her son.

"No mom, the only person that hates me and will stop and nothing for revenge is WoFat."

"I think you should keep your options open," Doris suggested.

"Why are you defending him?" and incredulous Steve asked.

"I'm not defending him Steve. I'm just trying to see this from a different perspective. You're judgment is obviously affected due to how personal this is but you need to have a clear mind before making any assumptions that might make you do something you'll later regret," Doris explained.

Steve looked at his mother like she was a stranger and shook his head before leaving her alone and walking upstairs to his room to try to get some sleep although sleep would not come easily.

* * *

The next morning Steve walked into the office earlier than usual after giving up on sleep around four in the morning. He went for his morning run but since that didn't help he tried swimming and even that was a fail. Before seven, he was walking into the office and turning on all the computers. The first thing he did was bring up the traffic videos that Kono had saved to see if he succeeded in finding something not that he didn't trust Kono. He did, he trusted his teammate but he wanted to see with his own eyes that there wasn't anything useful on the videos.

When Derek was brought in yesterday, Steve had really hoped to find something in him that might point to Mia but there was nothing. His story checked out and Kono said she would track his foot steps in the last couple of weeks to see if anything stood out.

Then there was Peter Summers. Danny had called the New York Police Department and they had brought Peter in for questioning but when NYPD reported back late last night Peter's whereabouts checked out. He had not seen Mia since her visit Thursday morning.

A little after eight the team slowly starting making their way in and they found Steve on the computer table going through the same videos probably for the hundredth time.

"Please tell me you got some sleep," Danny said standing across from Steve.

"Don't worry about it Danny," Steve said not bothering to look away the screen.

"Steve, come on, don't torture yourself by looking through those videos again," Danny said.

"Hey boss," Kono interrupted. "Before coming into the office Chin and I drove around the scene and took a look at security cameras after the two miles in which the SUV disappeared. We caught a few glimpses of it heading west towards H1 but we weren't able to catch whether or not they actually got on it." Kono connected the USB containing the footage and played it for the rest.

Steve had no idea his teammates had been out early trying to find clues to Mia's kidnapping and it touched him deeply. He really appreciated what they were all doing to help find Mia and when all this was over he would make sure they knew how much he appreciated all their help.

"Okay, so we'll check traffic cameras around that time and check if they ever made it into H1," Danny said to which Steve nodded.

Before anyone could go on their way to do something a commotion was heard from the entrance and soon Peter Summers was standing in front of the team. "Where is my daughter?" he demanded to know.

"I'm sorry Commander but he wouldn't wait to be announced," the HPD officer said.

"It's okay I got it from here," Steve said dismissing the officer. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find my daughter. How could you think I had something to do with her disappearance?" Peter asked outraged and hurt for anyone thinking he would stoop so low.

"Oh I don't know Peter. Your actions leave little to be desired and at this point anyone is a suspect," Steve retorted.

"Does that include you?" Peter sneered back. "Let's not forget your track record isn't too god either."

Steve balled his hands in fists but before he could do something Danny interceded.

"Okay gentlemen, arguing is not going to help us find Mia. Why don't we all calm down and try to talk peacefully," Danny suggested.

Steve knew Danny was right and as much as he hated to admit, Peter could help them out. The team went on to inform Peter on everything they knew and who they suspected when Steve remembered something. "Add WoFat," he said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"He has a personal vendetta against my family and it's only obvious he would use Mia to get to me," he explained.

The team nodded and continued searching.

* * *

Somewhere on the other side of the island Mia was growing restless. She still didn't know who had her locked in this room and the only time someone would walk into the room it was to bring her food. Other than that, she was left alone. It had been a week since she had been brought to this place. She knew she was in the middle of nowhere because when she looked outside the windows all she saw were trees. Mia was held captive in a big house hidden in the middle of nowhere. The room she was in was facing the back of the house so she didn't know who came and went. All she knew besides being surrounded by trees was that there were guards everywhere.

The sun was beginning to set when one of the masked men came into the room with another armed man behind him. "Let's go," he ordered motioning to the door with his head.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The less questions you ask the better," his deep voice said.

Mia hesitated but then moved when the armed man pointed the gun at her when she wouldn't move. She walked behind the man who spoke to her while the armed man walked right behind her. They led her downstairs and into what she assumed was a study. It was very open with high ceilings and windows going from the floor to ceiling. There was a sitting area close to a fireplace and a desk on the opposite side of the room. She turned and found a woman standing behind the desk facing her.

"Hello Mia, it's been a while," the woman said giving Mia a cinical smile.

**A/N: Who could that woman be? Any guesses? Don't forget to review and remember to follow me on twitter KaryMcgarret for story updates.**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Not sure how I did on this chapter but I hope you like it. Once again thank you for all the reviews! :D I was very surprised by how many of you responded to who the woman was ;) Love it!**

**Duchess of Lantern Waste: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I appreciate you taking the time to review. I understand your concern regarding McGarrett being spelled McGarret and I do think you're the first to point it out. I tend to follow my spell check but I don't think one "t" would have made a difference, although I do respect your opinion ;) . I tried fixing it on this chapter and I apologize in advance if I missed one. Hope you keep enjoying the story.**

**And for the rest of you who have been anxiously waiting for the update, here you go...**

**Chapter 31**

Mia stood frozen on her spot. The woman standing behind the wooden desk was someone she would never forget. After all these years, she was back and it was obvious she meant no good given the way she decided to contact Mia.

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Mom?" she whisper her voice filled with absolute shock.

"Glad you still remember me but then again you were always very smart. Although your choices lately leave a lot to be desired." Samantha looked at her daughter with disgust. "I can't believe you would be so stupid to make the same mistake twice. Now I have to come back and clean up your mess once again."

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked confused. "Better yet, why am I here? Why did you have me kidnapped?"

"Kidnap you?" Samantha laughed. "That's such an ugly word honey."

"It's exactly what you did," Mia said. "Having these men take me against my own will? Seriously, why would you do something like that? I'm your daughter! If you wanted to see me all you had to do was call."

"You listen to me," Samantha said walking towards Mia and pointing a finger in her direction. "Ever since you met that boy all you've ever had were problems and mommy always had to fix them for you."

"Yeah, how? By killing my first child? Is that what you're planning to do now? Repeat the same story all over again. Well guess what, _mother_, I'm older and wiser and I will not let you or anyone else hurt my child."

"I did you a favor! That bastard child you were going to have would only have ruined your life."

"Yeah, like I ruined yours? The only favor you've ever done for me is walking out of my life!"

Mia's mother laughed ignoring Mia's comment. "Exactly how are you planning on getting out of here? Look around Mia," Samantha said gesturing to their surroundings. "You're surrounded by men that at a snap of a finger will twist that precious little neck of yours. So tell me, how do you plan on getting out of here without killing your own child in the process?"

"You would really order them to kill me?" Mia asked in disbelief. "What kind of monster are you?"

"I've got nothing to lose," her mother said simply shrugging a shoulder.

"Then why am I here? If you have nothing to lose, why are you going through all this trouble?" Mia asked.

"Let's just say I'm doing a favor to an old friend of yours," Samantha said.

"What? Who?" she asked.

"Don't worry, soon enough you'll find out," she said. "For now, go get ready. Find something nice to wear. We'll be having dinner soon."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!" Mia was becoming more frustrated by the second. She couldn't understand why her mother would do something so cruel and who she was helping out.

"Go, _now_." Samantha was tired of looking at her daughter, the reason for all her troubles, the greatest mistake of her life. She couldn't wait until all this was over and she could get away. Samantha motioned for her men to take Mia away. When she saw the coast was clear, she picked up her phone and dialed a very familiar number. "Are you almost here?" she asked.

"On my way, had to clear up some things over here," the voice replied.

"Well hurry up," she snapped and ended the call.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Peter said after reading through the team's notes. "Derek West was having lunch with his brother at the beach the day of Mia's disappearance?"

"Yeah, our friend confirmed it," Steve said taking a stance across from where Peter was standing by the computer table.

"That's impossible," Peter said shaking his head and looking up at Steve.

Steve exchanged a curious look with the rest of the team, immediately perking up to that piece of information. "Why do you say that?"

"Derek doesn't have a brother. Correction, he doesn't have a living brother. The only brother he had passed away more than ten years ago," Peter said.

"What?" Steve asked in a small unbelieving voice. He covered his mouth with one hand and began pacing the length of the bullpen. "So that puts him back on our suspect list."

"Why would he lie about who he was with? Better yet, who exactly was he with?" Danny asked everyone in general.

"I don't know but I'm about to find out," Steve said making his way to the exit doors.

"Steve, wait, don't go doing something stupid," Danny said.

"Danny is right, Steve. You need to calm down. If we come at Derek just like that and accuse him of something he will never tell us anything, _if_ he's involved," Chin, the voice of reason, said.

"I can't just sit around doing nothing when there's a possibility that bastard has Mia somewhere," Steve said. "Mia is seven months pregnant now and I don't even know how she's doing, if the baby and she are fine."

"We'll put a tail on him and meanwhile try to see who he met with, check more thoroughly into his life," Danny said.

Steve nodded. "Kono, get me a warrant to go into Derek's home. We shouldn't have any problems acquiring it because he already lied so he must be hiding something."

"Alright, boss," Kono said already walking to the exit.

* * *

Mia was escorted back downstairs and into the dining room, deciding to go for a long pale yellow sundress that accentuated her growing stomach and left her hair down in its natural waves. She was anxious to know who else was behind her kidnapping and she kept praying Steve would find her soon. Mia had already entered her seventh month and she was becoming more worried as the days passed. She didn't want to be in this place when the time came fore her to give birth. Just the thought of being in this house when the time came terrified her because she didn't know exactly what her mother had planned when she gave birth or even if she would be allowed to give birth to her child. Mia shuddered at that last thought and took a deep breath as she entered the big dining room.

She took note that the table was set for three but the only person already occupying a spot on the table was her mother.

"About time you joined me," Samantha said smiling through the rim of her wine glass. She then motioned for Mia to take a seat on the chair across from her.

Mia sat slowly and glanced nervously around the room, searching for what, she didn't know. "How did you know I was pregnant? Or that I was with Steve?"

"_I_ can answer that question," a very familiar voice said from the entrance of the dining room.

Mia twisted her head in the direction of the voice and did a double take. No way, this couldn't be happening, she thought shaking her head in denial. "Derek? Oh my god," Mia said bringing a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Surprise?" he asked lamely walking into the room and coming to stand behind the empty chair at the head of the table. "I know this isn't what you were expecting but it was the only solution I found to the great mistake you made. Seriously Mia, marry the man who abandoned you and let him get you pregnant again? How long do you think he'll stick around for this time? Maybe until the baby is born but don't worry you won't have to go through it to find out."

"Steve did not abandon me!" Mia exclaimed standing up slamming her fists on the table. "He loves me just like I love him. When will everyone stop blaming him for everything that happened?"

"He does not love you Mia. Don't you get it? His C.O. disappears right when you decided to tell him what happened all those years ago, how convenient, don't you think?" Derek said.

"Why are you doing this Derek? How do you even know my mother?" Mia said looking from her mother to Derek. "I trusted you with everything, dammit; we lived together for four years!"

"I never stopped loving you Mia. When you left I thought it would be temporary, that eventually you would come to your senses and come back to me," Derek said walking closer to Mia.

Mia backed away from Derek. "You disappeared, Derek. You left without a word to anyone and I had no control over my trip to Hawaii. I never planned on running into Steve or starting a relationship with him."

"None of that matters now because here you are, having another man's child. I'm saving you from a life of unhappiness because that's all McGarrett will do, bring you unhappiness. You'll have your child and if you want we'll send it to him or you can keep it, whatever you decide."

"So what, you're going to keep me a prisoner in this place for the rest of our lives?" Mia asked.

"However long it takes you to realize the mistake you made and that it's me who you really want to be with," Derek said shrugging.

"_Unbelievable_. What does she have to do with all this?" Mia said pointing to her mother.

"She's just along for the ride. She had the connections I needed to go through with my plan. Can you believe how many enemies your husband has? It made it all the easier for me."

"I can't believe this," Mia said shaking her head. She saw Derek from the corner of her eye walk closer to her. "Stop. Don't come any closer."

"You're mine, Mia, so you better get used to it. _No one_ will find you here," Derek said.

Mia grabbed the first object she saw, a wine glass, and threw it at Derek but either all the confusion made her miss her target or Derek had good reflexes.

"Throw everything you want, Mia," Derek said in between clenched teeth as he grabbed Mia from both writs, "but nothing you do will help you leave this place."

"Let me go, Derek, please," she whispered in a broken voice on the verge of tears. "I'm begging you Derek, please let me go."

"You'll thank me later on Mia. I'm doing this for your own good," Derek said hugging Mia to him even though she struggled to get away from him. "Don't fight it Mia."

Mia disengaged herself from Derek and wiping her eyes she turned to look at her mother. "Why are you doing this? I'm your daughter," she cried in desperation.

"You mean nothing to me. You're only the mistake that cost me my dreams and for that I will never forgive you," Samantha said as she stood up and walked out of the room.

Mia stopped fighting the tears and she let them fall freely. Her mother's words cut through her like a knife to the heart. Even after everything her mother had done she still had hope that one day her mother would come back and try to rebuild their relationship but now Mia knew that would never happen. Everyone always saw what she never did, her mother hated her.

"Can I go to my room?" she asked in a whisper not looking at Derek.

"You need to eat something," Derek said.

"I'm not hungry."

She heard Derek sigh. "Fine."

Next thing she knew was one of the men grabbed her from the elbow and led her back the way she came. When she was in the safety of her room she dropped on the bed and allowed herself a good cry. Mia didn't know what was worse, finding out your mother never cared for you or the man you once lived with, shared so many things with would do something so cruel like kidnap her. She felt like the fight in her was losing its battle. How many more disappointments could she take?

* * *

The next day the team and Peter made their way to Derek's apartment after Kono acquired the warrant and were glad when they didn't find Derek inside. It was the perfect opportunity to grab anything they deemed suspicious or might lead them to what he was hiding. The officer at the corner of the street had told them Derek had never shown up after he reported to keep surveillance.

Steve just hoped that didn't mean Derek had run away, although flying would be impossible for him, but there were other ways to disappear.

"There's nothing here Steve," Danny said coming out of the bedroom.

"I know," Steve whispered looking around the open floor apartment. Just as the team was walking to their cars, Steve's cell phone went off. "McGarrett."

"Steve? Oh my god Steve, why didn't you call me to tell me what happened? I just got back from a business trip with Jake and I had to find out from my employees about Mia's kidnapping?"

Steve sighed, feeling a headache coming. "I'm sorry Savi. I've been very busy trying to find _my wife_."

"Is there anything I can do? Do you guys have any leads or suspects?" Savi asked.

"Only her ex from New York but we haven't found anything concrete to tie him," Steve explained climbing into the Camaro.

Steve heard Savi curse on the other side of the phone. "What about Peter? Or her crazy mother?"

By this time Steve had put the phone on speaker as he drove and when Savi mentioned Peter, he looked in the rearview mirror to where Peter was riding with Kono and Chin. Then when she mentioned Mia's mother Steve turned to look at Danny, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Why do you think her mother might be involved?" Steve asked.

"Come on Steve, that woman was crazy, drunk all the time. She hated Mia. She might have come back to I don't know, hurt Mia?"

"You got a point there. I'll check it out. Thank you Savannah," Steve said.

"Just find her please and keep me updated" Savi said her voice laced with worry.

"Will do," Steve said.

"So, her crazy mother?" Danny asked.

"It's a possibility," Steve said.

"That woman hasn't been seen or heard from in years. Why would she all of a sudden return just to kidnap Mia for no reason?" Danny asked.

"She has reason Danny. Samantha hated Mia and we don't know if she's sober now."

"Okay, I'm just saying," Danny said. "I'll have Kono run it through the system."

* * *

Two hours later, Steve was coming out of his office when Kono rushed him to the computer table.

"So I ran Mia's mother through the system but there were no signs of her coming to Hawaii and then I ran facial recognition and we got a hit. She's been traveling all over the states under various aliases, including international flights. And check this out," Kono said bringing up Samantha's latest alias. "Lauren Gonzalez came into Hawaii over two months ago."

"She's been on the island long enough to track Mia's footsteps," Peter said. "And if she came under an alias that could only mean one thing."

"She has Mia," Steve finished.

"Do you think Derek and Samantha might be in on this together?"

"I don't know but I'm about to find out," Steve said walking towards the exit intent on finding Derek and bringing him in. Before he opened the door, Kono called him back.

"Hey boss, the officer on Derek's tail just called. Derek just left the building with a suitcase. Seems like our guy is making a trip," she said.

"Let's go Danny," Steve said running out the door and soon the rest of the team, including Peter, were following. "Danny, give HPD a call and have them follow Derek but don't let him know they're on his tail."

Danny nodded and took out his cell phone as Steve sped down the streets of Honolulu.

Steve parked in the corner of the street from where the car rental place Derek had drove into. They waited until they saw Derek come out of the rental place in a black Mercedes. "Stay put," Steve said to the rest of his team.

"Aren't we going to follow him?" he heard Peter ask through the speakerphone.

"No," was Steve's only reply. Five minutes later from when he saw the Mercedes disappear and after making sure Derek had in fact driven away, Steve pulled into the rental place and walked inside.

"I would appreciate if you would let us in on the plan," Danny said trying to catch up to Steve.

"Rentals have GPS Danny. Either Derek is too dumb to remember or he knows we're onto him and is just making us run in circles. I'm going to get the owner to track the vehicle he just left in and see where he's heading."

"Oh, okay," Danny said.

When Steve explained the situation to the owner, Kono began the tracking process.

"He's heading north, boss," Kono said.

Steve nodded. "Alright so he's not going in the direction of the airport or the dock. Let's go, Kono get this info onto your tablet and get your gear ready. We have to be ready for whatever we find, even if it's nothing. Get HPD back up too. Derek has half an hour advantage so we have to move fast."

The team had been driving for over an hour now when Kono's voice broke through the silence. "He stopped. According the GPS he's in the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve."

"What? That place is pure trees, are you sure?" Steve asked.

"Yes, that's what the tracker is telling me," Kono said.

"Alright, let's speed up," Steve said pressing down on the accelerator.

"Hey, we're going to find her," Danny said.

"I really hope so Danny," Steve said keeping his eyes on the road.

* * *

Mia had not been feeling well since last night after coming to her room, not only emotionally but physically as well. She kept getting sharp pains in her lower abdomen and she didn't know what they were from but they were beginning to terrify her when they would be fifteen minutes away from each other. She couldn't be having contractions because it was still too early to have the baby but then again she'd been under a lot of stress lately and sometimes women gave birth at seven months. Mia tried relaxing and taking deep breaths but nothing was helping and she just prayed everything was fine with her baby when she began sweating profusely.

* * *

"Did you bring my car?" Samantha asked when Derek walked into the room.

"Yeah it's parked outside. You're welcome to leave whenever you want now," Derek said as he served himself a drink from the mini bar.

"So who did you buy it from?"

"Buy it? Are you crazy?" he scoffed. "I wasn't going to spend a dime on a car for you. You don't even need it because you'll be leaving the island soon."

"So how did you get it?" Samantha asked peaked with curiosity.

"I rented it," he said nonchalantly.

Samantha's eyes widen in horror. "Are fucking _stupid_? You _rented_ it!"

"So?" he asked not seeing the problem. "I used an alias so no one can track it back to me, plus no one knows you're on the island."

"Dammit Derek! These cops are onto you even if they cleared you! For all you know they could be following you!" Samantha began pacing the living room trying to come up with a solution. "You need to get rid of the car, asap."

"Just get your things and go. No one will know," Derek said becoming annoyed with the woman in front of him.

Before Samantha could reply, gunshots were heard from outside and Derek ran to check what was going on through the window.

"Shit," he muttered when he saw they were surrounded by HPD and then he spotted McGarrett.

"I told you!" she shouted running to hide in the panic room by the office but she didn't get far because just then McGarret and the rest of Five-O stormed in from different directions of the house.

"Don't move!" Steve ordered pointing his gun at Samantha Summers. He motioned for Chin to handle her and then he and Danny, with Peter walked into the room Samantha had just come out of while HPD cleared the rest of the house and looked for Mia.

"Freeze, West," Steve said when he spotted Derek trying to go though a door, probably a secret passage. "It's over Derek."

Derek gave McGarrett a mocking smile. "Is it?" And then he took out a gun out of no where and shot two shots in the direction of Steve.

Danny didn't think twice and just reacted when he saw the gun. He didn't know who shot whom first but when he saw Derek drop to the floor he ran to kick the gun out of his hand and checked for a pulse, none. He then turned to check on Steve.

"I'm fine, thanks," Steve said turning to leave the room not caring what happened t Derek.

"McGarrett, second floor, last door to your left," they all heard Duke's voice through the earpiece and Steve broke into a run up the stairs.

* * *

Mia knew she had to find a way out. The pain she was feeling was unbearable and she just prayed her baby was fine. It still wasn't time for her baby to be born but she wasn't taking any chances. She was in the room she'd been locked in for all this time when she suddenly heard commotion downstairs and then gunshots. Mia was scared like she'd never been before in her entire life. As the pain got worse she sat on the floor against the bed trying to breathe through the pain but nothing was helping. It was getting dark and Mia was getting weaker by the second. She knew she had to hold on and stay awake but the pain was just too much to take and she didn't have the strength anymore. Mia slowly closed her eyes and let darkness surround her.

* * *

Steve was checking the rooms upstairs along with Danny trying to find the room Duke mentioned when he spotted another officer down the hall. The sight that met him sent a chill down his body. Mia was lying unconscious on the floor with Duke right beside her.

"Danny! I've got her!" Steve shouted over his shoulder as he dropped to his knees right next to Mia cradling her face in his hands. "Oh my god, Mia, Mia come on answer me. Babe come on wake up sweetie don't do this to me."

Steve could feel her burning up and he knew he had to get her out of there as soon as possible. He yelled for medical help, thankful that they'd brought medical assistance with them, just in case something like this was to happen. All they had to do was wait for the helicopter to arrive.

As Mia was getting medical assistance she began to regain consciousness and called for Steve. Steve was on her side the whole time and told Mia that she should try relaxing that everything would be fine. But Mia knew how weak she was and she honestly didn't know if she was going to make it. She grabbed Steve's arm and he got closer to be able to hear her better.

"Steve," she whispered in a voice filled with pain. "Please, whatever happens-" she gasped as another shot of pain engulfed her. When it passed, she continued, "Make, make sure the baby is safe - please Steve - promise me you will save our baby."

Steve exchanged a worried look with Danny who had joined him and was standing behind the paramedic. "I promise the baby and you will both be safe. Nothing will happen to either of you."

"Promise me, Steve, please, the baby comes first," she begged. "Promise me."

Steve was for the first time in his entire life terrified. He didn't want to hear Mia talking like this but he wanted her to try and relax so he nodded and gave her his word. "Alright I promise."

Mia gave him a weak smile and then closed her eyes as she once again allowed herself to succumb to the darkness. Thankfully the helicopter was just landing and Steve heard a paramedic yelling that they had to get moving. Steve rode in the helicopter not wanting to leave Mia's side and the team assured him they would be right behind him.

* * *

**A/N: I love how everyone predicted the mother. Hope you liked it and don't forget to review. I'm not sure how long I will extend the last few chapters, maybe two, three at the most. Anyone interested in continuing to read my future stories, don't forget to add me to the Author's Alert. In the meantime, Review, Review, Review, :))**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: And it boils down to the last two chapters.  
**

**Francis2: Thank you! Glad your enjoying it.**

**GeishaXnoXHimitsu: Unfortunately, yes, these are the last few chapters. :( But stay tuned...**

**Carson34: Thank you for keeping up not only here but on twitter as well ;) Posted earlier than planned.**

**Johann24: I can't believe I haven't mentioned you! Thank you for reviewing not only now but on a previous chapter as well. I know you're not much of a reviewer as you mentioned it to me before but it is really appreciated! I know, I don't think some saw Derek coming lol but yes that promise definitely sucks. We'll see how it turns out...Oh and thank you to you as well for keeping up on twitter ;)**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! Remember it's the last two chapters...**

**Chapter 32**

Peter was livid. He could not believe Samantha would be so cruel and do something like kidnap her own daughter. He wanted to be with his daughter in such a critical moment but he wanted to know why Samantha did what she did so he rode back with HPD while the rest of Five-0 drove to the hospital to be with Steve and Mia.

Peter walked into the interrogation room Samantha was held in and took a moment to study her. She had definitely aged over the years but she still conserved that beauty that attracted him to her all those years ago. How could someone he had once loved so much be capable of hurting their own child?

"What, are you just going to stand there? It's been too long Peter," Samantha said smirking.

"I'm still trying to decide if I should just kill you right here, right now, or let you rot your sorry ass in prison," Peter said coming to stand in front of Samantha.

Samantha laughed. "Go ahead, kill me, you would be doing all of us a favor."

Peter shook his head. "That would be too easy," he said. He bent down slightly to be at eye level with Samantha and wrapped one hand tightly around her neck. "I will personally make sure you never walk the streets of any state or country. If something happens to my daughter I will make you suffer 'til your last living breath. Do you _hear_ me?" Peter let go of Samantha and stood back in disgust when he didn't see any signs of remorse in his former wife's eyes.

"Why don't we stop pretending? We both know you never gave a damn about her. If that were the case you would have never abandoned us."

"See that's where you're wrong. If I would have known the kind of life you would have given her and the pain you would have put her through I would've never walked away from _her_. I would have taken her as far away from you as possible. What happened to you Samantha?"

Samantha looked at Peter with pure hatred. She despised the man standing in front of her with every ounce of her being. "What happened? And you still ask." She gave him a sardonic smile. "You and your precious little girl ruined my life! I had so many plans for my future but you insisted I didn't terminate the pregnancy, that you would be there for me and together we would accomplish all our goals. Then at the first sign of trouble you walked away."

"You know I stayed by your side until you became unbearable to live with. I stayed as long as I could but your constant drinking and the fights you always wanted to pick drove me over the edge. I felt like I was suffocating and you never tried to make our lives better. You never put the minimum amount of effort into our relationship."

"So you had to go and leave me with a child in my arms," she sneered back.

Peter shook his head knowing they weren't going to get anywhere. "Just tell me why? Why did you kidnap Mia?"

"I didn't kidnap her. That was all Derek. The guy had a crazy obsession with getting Mia back," Samantha replied.

"You are as much responsible as he is but now he's dead so you will tell me exactly why kidnap Mia," Peter said.

"I already told you all I know. All I did was provided the resources," Samantha said shrugging.

"What? How do you have resources?"

"Now that is something you'll never find out," Samantha replied giving Peter an evil smile. "I already told you enough and that's all you will get from me. I honestly don't care what happens to that -"

"I will find out what you're hiding Samantha and when I do you better pray to your Gods or whoever is giving you your '_resources_' that they help you find a way out because you will be sorry you ever hurt Mia," Peter said interrupting Samantha and then walking out of the interrogation room leaving a laughing Samantha behind.

* * *

Steve had been in the waiting room for ten minutes waiting on some type of news from Mia's doctor when Danny and the rest of the team joined him asking him about Mia's condition. He was about to answer them when the doctor came out asking for him.

"How are Mia and the baby doctor?" Steve asked his tone desperate for news.

"They are both in critical condition Commander McGarrett. At this point we have to perform an emergency c-section and I am forced to ask you to make a very difficult decision. I need you to tell me who I should save in case things get more complicated than they are right now," the doctor said in a professional tone.

"No, no, no, you can't make me choose one. You've got to save both of them! I can't lose either one, please," Steve begged grabbing the man from the collar of his scrubs.

"Steve," Danny said as he and Chin removed him from the doctor.

"I'm sorry Mr. McGarrett but you've got to tell me. The less time we waste the sooner we can proceed."

Steve was at a standstill. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to lose Mia nor his baby but he'd made Mia a promise. God, _she knew_! She knew something like this was going to happen and she made him promise her he would save their baby. Turning to look at his teammates with a broken and defeated look he told them, "She knew, Mia knew and she made me promise her I would save our child. I'm sorry guys, this is what Mia wanted." Turning to face the doctor with unshed tears in his eyes, Steve whispered, "The baby."

The doctor nodded and gave him a sympathetic look as he walked back inside.

Steve felt broken. He also felt like he'd let his friends, his _ohana_, down but this was what Mia wanted even if it tore him up inside. He was sitting on a chair with his head in his hands silently crying for everything that had happened and for the possibility of losing the woman he loved. How could everything have turned so wrong? Why would someone do this to her, to them? Steve felt a hand on his shoulder but he didn't raise his head. He just couldn't face anyone right now.

Danny felt helpless at seeing his friend so broken and defeated. He knew nothing would be able to console him until he knew that both Mia and his son would make it but they'd all heard the doctor. Mia was in critical condition and the chances of her making it were slim to none and even less after Steve's decision to save the baby. He knew why he'd made that decision. Danny had been there when Mia made Steve promise her he would keep their child safe so he understood Steve's decision even if the others didn't. He looked around the waiting room as he sat next to Steve and squeezed his shoulder in support. Everyone's faces were the same, full of sadness and shock over the situation. He was about to say something to Steve when Mia's best friend Savannah and her husband Jake burst in through the doors of the waiting room.

Steve wiped his eyes and raised his head to see who or what was making such a commotion and saw Jake and Savannah making their way towards him with Peter, who had gone with HPD to try to talk to Samantha, close behind them. Steve dreaded this moment when he would have to tell them about the decision he was forced to make.

"How are Mia and the baby? Are they okay?" Savi demanded to know. "What's going on, why isn't anyone saying anything? Steve?"

Steve stood up and faced Savi. "She's in surgery. They're doing everything they can but she's in critical condition."

"What? Why? Was she not treated well while she was sequestered?" Savi asked in confusion.

"Savi listen to me, when we found Mia she was already in premature labor but things got complicated and now the doctors are doing everything they can but the chances are not too good for her." Steve explained.

"Why not? What aren't you telling me?" Savi asked

"Savi, the doctor made me choose."

"What do you mean? Choose what?"

"He made me choose who to save in case of a complication."

"You picked Mia right? Please tell me you told them to save Mia. Don't get me wrong the baby is as important as she is but you can always have more babies. Mia, well there's only _one_ Mia," Savi said bordering on hysteria.

"I'm _so sorry_ Savi," Steve said his voice breaking with every word he spoke. "She made me promise her that I would save our child. She knew something like this was going to happen and she made me promise her."

"No, no, why did you listen to her! This is Mia we're talking about! How could you!" Savi shouted hitting Steve with her closed fists on his chest.

"I'm so sorry," Steve said not bothering to stop Savi.

"Sorry? Sorry isn't going to guarantee Mia makes it out of this alive. If something happens to her it will be your fault!" she shouted poking a finger in his chest.

"Savannah calm down," Jake told his wife as he grabbed her from behind.

Savannah shook off his hands and said, "Calm down? You're telling me to calm down when my best friend, the closest I ever had to a sister, is in there fighting for her life!"

"Making a scene or taking it out on Steve is not helping the situation either," Jake said turning Savi to look at him. "You have to put yourself in his shoes and understand the position Mia put him in. This is what _Mia_ wanted. Let's just pray that the doctor can save them both."

"I don't want her to die," Savi cried as Jake pulled her into his arms.

"None of us do baby," Jake whispered into her hair.

Steve couldn't take it anymore and he walked away. He needed some fresh air because he felt like he was suffocating.

* * *

Two hours later, Danny saw the doctor walking towards them but his expression gave nothing away. Danny looked around but didn't see any sign of Steve.

"I'll go get him," Chin whispered.

Danny nodded and gave him a thankful smile.

"Commander McGarrett?" the doctor asked.

"Our friend just went to get him. He's catching some fresh air," Danny explained.

"Doctor, how's Mia? Did she make it?" Savi asked grabbing the doctor's arm.

"Savi, wait until Steve is back," Jake said pulling Savi away from the doctor.

Right then Steve walked in with Chin right beside him. He just looked at the doctor not being able to ask the question and the doctor understood.

"Congratulations Commander. You're the father of a very healthy baby girl," the doctor said giving Steve a small smile due to the circumstances of the situation. "Due to the baby being premature we've incubated her but she is surprisingly a very healthy and strong baby."

Steve smiled because he already knew this. Mia had told him as a wedding gift. He was glad the baby was healthy but what he really wanted to know was how Mia was. "Mia?" he said.

The doctor sighed and removed his glasses. Everyone was expecting to hear the worse but they would still hang onto the last thread of hope. "When we were performing the c-section her blood pressure went down and we almost lost her but we were able to stabilize her enough to get the baby out. Unfortunately, Mrs. McGarrett entered a state of comma. Now we just need to wait and see. I'm sorry Commander but we've done everything we can."

Steve nodded in a daze. He wouldn't believe his wife was in a comma. Yes it was better than not making it alive but what if she never woke up? "Can I see her?"

"Not at the moment, maybe in a couple of hours when she's transferred to a private room. I do understand her security and the baby's are at risk so we will put them in their own room right across from each other," the doctor explained. "You're more than welcome to visit with the baby, although you will have to change into scrubs."

"Alright," Steve said. He was feeling numb with everything that had happened. He turned to the team and gave them a weak smile. "I'm a dad."

"Congrats bud," Danny said giving Steve a hug and soon the whole team had him in a big team hug. "Go on and see your little girl," Danny encouraged after they broke apart.

Steve nodded as his eyes became red. He really had the best friends he could ask for. "Thank you guys, really, for everything," Steve choked out giving them a genuine smile before he turned and followed the doctor.

* * *

Steve walked into the private nursery the hospital had set up for his baby due to security issues dressed in blue scrubs and a face mask. The governor had made the arrangements and even went as far as posting a guard outside the door. In a few more hours Mia would be brought up to the room right across from this one and he would be allowed to visit her. Until then, Steve would see his daughter and give the rest of his team a chance to meet the new addition to the family.

Steve pulled a chair by the baby and sat looking at her in awe. She was so tiny he couldn't believe she was his, that he had helped create such a beautiful human being. He inserted his hands in the small circles and caressed her small chubby hands.

"You're so tiny and beautiful, just like your mama," Steve whispered. "She's going to be delighted when she wakes up and sees what a beautiful and healthy baby we made. She has to wake up. There's so much she can't miss out on." Steve's voice took on a husky tone when he talked about Mia. He didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her or if she never woke up.

The baby began to stir right when the nurse walked in. Steve stood up quickly wiping his eyes.

"It's time to feed the baby," the nurse said getting a small bottle ready. "Would the daddy like to do the honors?"

Steve looked at the nurse not sure if she was being serious. "You mean I can actually carry her?"

"Of course. She might be a premature baby but there's no reason why you can't carry her. The incubator is just for her health but we'll soon remove her from there if she keeps showing positive signs. Plus, you're wearing sterilized clothes."

Steve watched as the nurse removed his daughter from the incubator and turned to pass her to him. "I've never carried a baby before. I'm not sure -"

"Don't worry, you'll do just fine. Just make sure you hold her head right," the nurse instructed. "Here why don't you sit down? It'll make it much easier."

Steve sat down on the wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room and then the nurse placed her in his arms. Steve was speechless. He couldn't believe he was holding _his_ daughter. She looked even smaller in his big arms and so fragile. He could tell she was trying to open her eyes but the brightness of the lights was probably too much for her. Steve grabbed the bottle from the nurse and followed her instructions on how to properly feed her.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" the nurse asked while she checked everything was in order.

Steve never tore his gaze away from his daughter when he replied. "Mia loves the name Sophia but we compromised and decided to name her Sophie, Sophie Alexia McGarrett."

"That's a very pretty name," the nurse said smiling at the sight before her. "I've barely caught a few glimpses of your wife but the few that I've seen I can tell what a beautiful woman she is and the baby definitely took after her, not that the daddy is bad to the eye."

Steve smiled at the nurse. "Yes I know what you mean. She definitely reminds me of Mia. Sophie has the same pouty lips Mia has."

When he was done feeding the baby the doctor came in to tell him he was allowed to see Mia now so he handed the baby back to the nurse and walked to the room across without thinking twice about it.

* * *

The room was dimly lit and the drapes were open allowing the first rays of sunrise to light the room Mia was in. Steve had not slept much since the day Mia was kidnapped and had no sleep at all since he found her in the middle of nowhere. He was afraid that if he closed his eyes for just an instant something would happen to Mia or she would open those beautiful hazel eyes he missed seeing shine every day he woke up right next to her.

Steve stood at the end of the bed captivated by the sight before his eyes. If anyone saw her they would think she was just sleeping and would wake up at the minimum amount of noise made but Steve knew that wasn't the case. The beeping machines and the oxygen mask on her face were proof that Mia wasn't just sleeping, she was fighting for her life, and Steve prayed she fought with everything she had.

He placed a chair next to the bed on Mia's right side with his back to the window and placed her hand in his. Steve felt like he had lived this before and in fact he had, when he found out Mia was pregnant. The only difference now was that Mia was no longer pregnant and she could possibly never wake up.

"Mia, baby, if you can hear me, please, open your eyes. You've got to wake up," Steve whispered close to Mia's ear hoping she would show some sort of reaction. "You have to see little Sophie. She looks just like you." Steve looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath as the emotions boiling inside him were becoming too much to bear. "You can't do this to me Mia, to us. We were just beginning a new life together after all these years. Please, don't give up."

Steve leaned over and removed his face mask to place a small kiss on Mia's forehead. He was glad he didn't feel her burning up like the day he found her. The doctors were probably able to control her fever, he thought. He laid his head down on the bed never letting go of Mia's hand and before he knew it he had dozed off.

* * *

Danny and the team, along with Savi, Jake, and Peter had each taken turns visiting the newborn, which they had been informed Steve had finally named her, Sophie Alexia McGarrett. There was no doubt she was McGarrett's daughter as well as Mia's. She looked exactly like them and if she inherited her parent's craziness the island would have to watch out.

It had been over twenty-four hours since everything happened and at the moment everything was still a blur. Danny had convinced everyone to go home and get some rest. He would inform them of anything new as soon as he had more news. Doris had dropped by to see Mia and the baby but since Steve had been all day in Mia's room she was only allowed to see Sophie. She had also dropped off a change of clothes for Steve figuring he wouldn't want to leave Mia's side at all.

Danny knew only one person at a time was allowed to be in Mia's room but he walked in to give Steve the duffel bag his mother had dropped off and saw him with his head on the bed sleeping. He walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder nudging him a little to wake him up. Danny knew Steve needed to sleep but he also needed to eat something. A person could only function on adrenaline for so long before they crashed.

"Steve," he whispered. "Come on man, wake up."

Steve opened his eyes immediately and sat up rubbing the sleep away from them. "What happened?"

"You my friend fell asleep. I don't blame you, though." He motioned to the bag he placed by the couch and said, "You're mom dropped off a change of clothes earlier. Come on, go change and then well get something for you to eat."

Steve shook his head. "Na, I'm good Danno. I don't want to leave Mia's side. She might wake up anytime," Steve said.

"I'm not taking no for an answer Steve. Like you said, Mia can wake up at any time and until that happens; you need something to keep you going. If there's any change in her condition the doctors will immediately tell you."

Steve stole one last look in Mia's direction and then nodded as he stood up and stretched. "What time is it?" he asked taking in the fact that the sun had began to set. He couldn't believe he had been asleep for so long. He had not even heard when the nurses and doctor had come in to check on Mia.

"It's seven. You must have been really exhausted," Danny said leading Steve out of the room.

Danny waited for Steve outside the restroom while he changed and did what he had to do. He took this moment to reflect on Steve's appearance. Steve looked like hell. Not even when he had been taken hostage and tortured did he look like this, and that was saying something. Sure he didn't have the scars and bruises to show how bad he looked but if people really looked at him they wouldn't be able to see the badass super seal every one knew him to be. He looked like a zombie with no direction. He just prayed Mia would wake up soon for everyone's sake.

* * *

"Everyone met Sophie," Danny commented as they ate cold sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria. "I convinced them to leave since there wasn't much to do around here and promised to give them a call if there was any change."

"Thanks Danny," Steve said picking at the second half of his sandwich. "I don't really think I can face them right now. They must hate me."

"What's this I hear? I pity party coming from the Super Seal?" Danny said trying to alleviate the tension. "Come on Steve, why would they hate you?"

"I picked the baby when everyone knew I should have picked Mia. Savi was right; we could have always had more babies in the future. Maybe if I would have picked Mia she wouldn't be in a comma right now. She would be awake," Steve said pushing away his plate having lost the little appetite he had.

"Hey, hey," Danny said searching Steve's gaze. "None of that, okay? No one blames you for Mia's condition and you did exactly what Mia wanted. I was there, remember? You couldn't have predicted what would happen. Hell, even if you would have picked Mia you didn't know if she would have made it or not."

Steve didn't reply to Danny he simply gave him a distant look.

* * *

It had been a week since Mia had been brought into the hospital and there was still no change in her condition. Today, Sophie would be released from the hospital after the doctors were positive there was nothing to worry about. She grew stronger and healthier with each passing day and there was no reason to keep her there any longer.

Steve didn't want to leave Mia's side but he knew he needed to take Sophie home. Danny had convinced him he needed to get out of the hospital if only just to take Sophie home and get the baby settled in. His sister would be arriving tomorrow morning to help him out because he didn't know when his mother would disappear next and at this moment he didn't trust her even if she loved Mia.

Danny drove Steve and Sophie home later that day. When Steve walked into the house he was surprised to find boxes all over the place.

"I believe those are Mia's belongings from New York. They were delivered earlier in the week and since I don't know where they go I just told them to leave it there, although I did place some that were labeled bedroom in your room," Danny said when he noticed Steve's confusion. "There was also a black SUV delivered and it's parked out front if you didn't notice. I know you were waiting for Mia to come back to shop for baby furniture but since you never got around to that the team and I went ahead and did it for you so you have nothing to worry about. The nursery is ready for Sophie."

Steve was amazed by everything his team had done for him and Mia. It was moments like this when he realized that they were truly more than just coworkers. They were his and Mia's family. "Thank you Danny, really. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Danny just waved him off. "That's what family is for."

Steve nodded. "I'm going to put Sophie in her bed."

* * *

Steve walked upstairs carrying Sophie in her car seat and walked into the nursery. He took out Sophie and carried her for a bit taking advantage that she was fully awake now staring right into his eyes, a mirror of his own. He played with her tiny hand and she immediately wrapped it around his finger.

"Everything is going to be alright sweetie," Steve said softly as he placed a small tender kiss on the baby's forehead. He changed her diaper and settled her in the crib to let her get used to her surroundings.

When she had finally dozed off he walked back downstairs and told Danny he was going to lie down for a bit before driving back to the hospital. Danny assured him he was going to keep an eye on Sophie.

* * *

"Hey Danny, answer that phone before Sophie wakes up," Kono said as she watched Sophie squirm in her arms. Kono had dropped by earlier to offer her help and now she had just finished feeding Sophie and when Danny's phone went off Sophie began fussing.

"This is Detective Danny Williams," Danny said into the phone when he answered. He listened to what was being said on the other side and immediately lost all color. He turned with the phone still glued to his ear and came face to face with Steve. "Thank you, we'll be there as soon as possible."

Steve had woken up when he heard a phone ringing. He was a bit disoriented but quickly recovered when he heard Danny's voice and remembered he was in his room. Steve walked down the stairs to see who had called Danny and his partner's demeanor quickly had Steve worrying. "Who was that?" Steve asked. "Hey Danny, are you alright? You don't look too good."

"Yeah, Danny, who was that?" Kono asked intrigued by Danny's demeanor.

"Steve, that was the Governor," Danny said.

"Okay, and?" Steve said. "Come on Danny, what did Denning want?"

"Steve," Danny began. He swallowed his saliva and said, "There's been an explosion."

* * *

**A/N: Don't hate me now lol The wait is going to be worth it, I think. I really hope to read more reviews and encourage those that haven't done so to do so. I love reviews! :))  
**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Yes, it's finally here! It saddens me but at the same time it makes me happy to complete this story because it is something I never thought possible. I just want to thank every single one who took the time to read and review. Your kind words encouraged me to keep going and I will forever be grateful! This story will always be my baby because it's the first story I've ever written so thank you again for simply reading it! I love Hawaii Five-0 and I am so excited it has been renewed for a fourth season! *Happy dance*  
**

**With all this being said, I hope you enjoy this last chapter and don't hate me! lol**

**Chapter 33**

Steve walked into his house after midnight feeling empty and numb. Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for such day. He stood just inside the door and looked around taking in all the boxes scattered around. Walking around, opening boxes in the process, he peeked inside trying to see in the darkness what the boxes held. In one of the boxes tucked in the corner he found a box containing pictures and memories from Mia's time in New York. Mia had always loved taking pictures. She said they helped remember important events because memories eventually faded and details became fuzzy. He flipped through them but seeing those pictures made him snap.

Steve let out his anger and frustration by kicking and throwing the boxes and anything in his way. He was furious with himself, with Mia, and with life in general.

"Steve?" a slightly frightened voice called from the stairs.

"Go back to sleep Mary," Steve snapped remembering Mary had arrived a week before and had since helped with Sophie.

"Where were you all day? We were all worried about you," Mary said crossing her arms in front of her feeling a slight chill run down her arms.

"I'm home now," he said splaying his hands out for her to see. He made his way to the stairs brushing Mary's arm in the process.

"Have you been drinking?" she asked worriedly after smelling the alcohol when Steve brushed past her.

"And here I thought I was the cop," Steve responded sarcastically as he walked up the stairs and made his way into his room slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Steve looked at the made up bed and then at the picture sitting on the night stand. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face with his hands trying to clear the fuzziness. He picked up the frame, a picture of his wedding day, and saw a smiling Mia looking right back at him, her eyes shining so bright and full of life. He couldn't believe how much his world had changed in just one instant.

_*Flashback*_

Steve had barely shut off the engine of the Camaro before he flew out of the car with Danny hot on his heels. The sight of the hospital's top floors brought him to a stop.

_**There's been an explosion. **_

Those words and Danny's pallor were enough to have him storming out of his house and speeding towards the hospital leaving Kono behind with Sophie. Now witnessing what Danny had told him not so long ago sucked the life out of him. He knew in that instant that it was over. The chaos, the panic, everything around him only served as a reminder that he'd just lost the most important part of him.

Steve didn't think, he just reacted and pushed his way through the pandemonium ignoring Danny's shouts. He didn't get far, though, because there were cops everywhere blocking all access to the building. Steve took out his badge hoping it would give him some leverage but it was of no use.

"I'm sorry Commander but we're trying to evacuate everyone. We don't know if the building will collapse."

"My wife is in there!" he shouted at the innocent cop who was just doing his job.

"I'm sorry Commander but no one is allowed inside," the cop said giving Steve a sympathetic look.

Steve ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he allowed the mass of people to push him further away from the entrance, from the possibility of finding his wife.

* * *

Danny's stomach churned at the sight before him. He felt his heart break for Steve and he didn't know what to do but to go around and ask for information. Danny gathered that the explosion took place in the fifth floor, Mia's floor, but the exact location wouldn't be determined until it was cleared and safe to go in. Until now, the crime scene investigators ruled out any survivors on that floor but wouldn't confirm it until they checked it out for themselves.

Danny walked back to where Steve was pacing back and forth by the Camaro stealing glances at the hospital every once in a while.

"I'm sorry man. There's not much yet only that it took place on the fifth floor," Danny said as he rubbed the back of his neck, with one hand.

In that moment Chin joined them. "So I just gathered that the bomb squad has been cleared to go inside and investigate," he said in a solemn voice looking straight at Steve who was now leaning on the driver's side of the Camaro with a fist under his chin, staring straight at the hospital but not saying nor acknowledging anything. Chin knew exactly what Steve was going through. He had lived through it not so long ago and as much as he tried to find words of comfort for Steve he simply couldn't. He hadn't even fully recovered from Malia's death and the events taking place took him back to a dark place in his life. He exchanged a worried look with Danny who only shrugged a shoulder.

* * *

Later that day the news everyone was dreading but seemed to be expecting were confirmed by the bomb squad. Mia was dead.

_*End of Flashback*_

Steve woke up startled. He didn't realize he had passed out on top of the covers clutching his wedding picture. The sun was shining bright through the windows in his room and Steve cursed it. He was in a foul mood and felt like the brightness was mocking him. He stood up, his black button up dress shirt and black slacks wrinkled, with the picture still firmly in his hand. Standing in front of the mirror, he looked at the man staring right back at him, unshaven, clothes wrinkled, and bloodshot eyes. Steve didn't recognize himself but didn't care. He simply didn't have an ounce in him that would care about anything more other than the fact he had just lost his wife.

Feeling the anger coming back to him in a flash, Steve hurled the framed picture at the mirror instantly breaking it into a million pieces. He dropped to the floor burying his head in his hands not being able to hold it together anymore. Steve lost it and broke down sobbing uncontrollably.

Not even a minute later after he broke the mirror, his sister was banging on the door.

"Steve! Steve, open this door!" MaryAnn shouted outside Steve's door finding it locked. "Come on Steve, answer me, are you okay?" Mary kept twisting the doorknob but not succeeding it. She leaned her ear on the door and heard something that resembled sobbing. Mary sighed and in that instant Sophie started crying. Mary was torn turning to look at the nursery and then Steve's door. She rushed into Sophie's room and carried the crying baby. "It's okay sweetie. Shh, everything is alright."

* * *

"Hello? Anybody home?" Danny called from downstairs.

Mary walked with the crying baby in her arms to the landing and looked down at Danny. "Up here," she said. "Steve locked himself in his room and I'm worried. Last night he came home reeking alcohol and throwing the boxes all over the place." She motioned to the scattered mess downstairs. "And not so long ago I heard a shatter in his room but he won't open the door or answer me and now Sophie is upset."

"He keeps blaming himself for - " Danny didn't have a chance to complete his sentence when they heard a loud crash coming from Steve's room. He rushed up the stairs and knocked incessantly on the door. "Steve, come on open up!"

"Go away!" they heard.

"If you don't open up I will knock this door down!" Danny threatened hoping to get his friend to open the door.

A few seconds later Steve opened the door and the whiskey bottle in his right hand did not go unnoticed. Mary and Danny exchanged a look and Mary walked back downstairs to calm down Sophie.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be drinking?" Danny asked letting himself into the room taking in the mess and broken mirror. There was books, perfume bottles, clothes strewn everywhere. Danny also noticed Steve's broken wedding picture on the floor.

"Screw you, Danny," Steve retorted sitting on the edge of the bed and taking a swig of the bottle.

"Hey I'm not the enemy here," Danny said placing his hands in his pockets and looking at the mess Steve was.

Steve snickered but didn't say anything.

"You know there are people that are worried about you," Danny said. "But they're also afraid to approach you for fear you'll kick them out."

"Well apparently it didn't keep you away," he said in a clipped voice.

Danny sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. He stood in front of Steve and extended his hand. "Give me the bottle," Danny ordered.

"Leave me alone Danny," Steve said standing up and pushing Danny out of the way.

"You really need to cut the crap Steve," Danny said losing his patience. "I know you just lost your wife and you feel like shit but there are people out there who still _**need**_ you."

"Shit doesn't even begin to describe how I feel Danny. I feel like a part of me died with Mia. _**My**_ wife is dead Danny and nothing will ever bring her back and it's my entire fault!" Steve shouted his eyes brimming with tears.

"I understand but - "

"You _understand_? No Danny, I don't think you understand," he shot back sarcastically. "Your wife never died. She left you but she's still alive. No one can begin to understand what I'm feeling!"

"Fine, you're right. My wife didn't die but come on Steve. You have a daughter who needs you now more than ever. Do you think Mia would have wanted to see you like this? She loved you and trusted you to watch after Sophie. Do you think she would be happy to know her daughter's father is doing nothing but getting drunk and drowning in self pity?"

"She should have thought about that before she left to New York!"

"That's enough! No one could have predicted what happened, Steve! Absolutely no one, so stop it right now! You need to sober up and get yourself cleaned up because Sophie needs her father. Mary can't watch her forever. She has a life of her own and you need to take responsibility."

"I don't think I can, Danny. I don't know how to," he whispered in a broken voice. "She's gone, really gone."

"I know Steve," Danny said softly. "You think it doesn't affect the rest of the team as much? We all loved her and miss her but we need to continue with our lives. We'll never forget about her, Steve. She was family."

"It just hurts too much," Steve said sitting down on the floor his back to leaning on the bed. "I just wished there was something I could have done to prevent this."

"We all did," Danny said sitting on the edge of the bed and giving Steve's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I know your time together was cut short but you need to take all the good things you shared in that short amount of time. One of those was your daughter, Steve. Now what you have to do is look after her."

"She looks so much like Mia it hurts to look at her," Steve confessed.

"You can't let that come between you and Sophie. You'll only end up resenting Sophie and hurting her. I know it hurts to look at anything or anyone that might remind you of her but she's your daughter too, Steve."

"I just don't think I can do it right now," he said.

Danny nodded understanding where Steve was coming from but sincerely hoping Steve didn't push his daughter away. He feared Steve would resent Sophie and end up blaming her too for Mia's death. Danny deeply prayed it never came to that.

"How about you go and get cleaned up for now? I'll give you a hand around here and try to get this mess back to normal," Danny said standing up and looking at the clothes Steve was wearing.

Yesterday after Mia's burial, a week after it was confirmed Mia had died in the explosion, Steve had disappeared and no one was able to track him down because he had not taken his truck and his phone was off the entire day. From what he had gathered, Steve had gone off and gotten wasted returning home well after midnight.

The results of the bombing had come back and Danny dreaded telling Steve the news but he had a right to know. Danny decided to wait until Steve cleaned himself up and had eaten something.

* * *

Hours later, after Steve had sobered up and cleaned himself and the mess in his house, Steve and Danny sat on the wooden chairs by the water in his backyard watching the sun set in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Steve," Danny said breaking the silence and interrupting Steve's thoughts.

"Hmm?" Steve responded not looking away from the sun setting.

"The results came back today," Danny began.

"And?"

"Remember Laura Hills' death?" Danny questioned looking at his friend.

That got Steve's attention and he instantly looked at Danny with questioning eyes. "Yeah?"

"The bomb found in Mia's room," he paused to take a deep breath. "It was exactly like the one planted in Laura's vehicle."

"You mean…" Steve said shocked at what he was hearing.

Danny nodded confirming Steve's thoughts.

"WoFat."

_**The End ….. or is it?**_

**A/N: One last time, review! xoxo  
**


	34. Chapter 34

Hello to my wonderful readers. I am loving the response I've been receiving from you the readers. I just want to let you know that **_no_** I will not leave you hanging like that but Time Changes Everything has indeed come to an end. I am currently working on the sequel "Time Heals All Wounds" (squealing like a little girl lol) and you will get answers, promise! I am also planning to publish a different story with no ties to TCE. In the meantime I'll leave you with a preview of what's to come soon on Time Heals All Wounds...

_**Time Heals All Wounds**_

_**Summary:**_

_It's been almost a year, a year since that fateful day that turned Steve's world upside down. Now Steve has to learn how to deal with being a single father and cope with the pain and emptiness Mia's death left. Maybe it was true what they said, time heals all wounds..._

Stay tuned and don't forget to add me to your Author's Alert if you want to find out what happens next or to read the next story I post.

xoxo

Kary McGarrett

Twitter: KaryMcGarret


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